


Tipping the Scales

by snarechan



Category: The Bouncer (Video Game)
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Canon-Typical Violence, DO NOT COPY TO ANOTHER SITE OR APP, Do not repost, Eventual Romance, Fights, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Piercings, Presents, References to Drugs, Romance, Slow Romance, Spies & Secret Agents, That's So 2000s, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2020-10-24 22:14:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20713373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarechan/pseuds/snarechan
Summary: Kou's "vacation" is cut short when he's ordered to return to LUKIS and resume his responsibilities at the agency, but as fate would have it…the city of Edge isn't finished with him.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So hey, when the Atlas of The Bouncer fandom as I know it aka Coelasquid [puts a request out to the universe for more content](https://twitter.com/Coelasquid/status/1136869972423036928), sometimes you just gotta dig around until you find that fifteen-plus-year-old story you weren't even sure if you'd written because it felt like a childhood, sugar-induced coma dream. At the risk of dating myself, after hunting through ancient HDDs and homemade CDs, the document was nestled on a _Zipdrive_ of all things. 
> 
> But yeah! Turns out I did, so I'm dusting this sucker off. It was a lot shorter (basically just 3 or 4 chapters, maybe) and never saw the light of day when I first wrote it <s>at the start of my baby writing career</s>. Now that I'm older I HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY! I CAN BUILD THIS BETTER. Although, it's kind of embarrassing to admit this story has actually been in the works since around the start of the 2019 year, near the video game's anniversary. Seeing Coelasquid's and some other creators' love for the franchise reminded me that I may have dabbled in fanfic for it once upon a time and now that I have a good set of bones I'm roughly 3/4's of the way through expanding and rewriting everything. 
> 
> I'll explain more as I post other chapters since this note is already getting pretty long, but two things to keep in mind is that while the game universe implies that events take place in a technologically advanced future, I was rather enamored with the Y2K vibes and intend to keep some references to that era. I also put advanced warnings in the tags in case anyone doesn't want to get invested in a story with bloody violence, mentions of drugs, and an eventual torture scene. Everything is very minor and short, but I still wanted to include those spoilers now. 
> 
> Beta read by Philophrosynae. I also tried going over this story a million times to try and catch any errors that may have resulted in transferring it for archiving here, but please feel free to point out anything that may need fixing!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kou is called away from the bar not to prove anything to Leann in a round of fisticuffs, but to receive new instructions from LUKIS and subsequently ending his 'vacation' before it can even begin...

_ There is a lull in the city’s activity, what with it so late that it’s technically early. Any drunks not taking advantage of an establishment's last call are most likely passed out in the gutter. The rest of the populace has barely stirred. Their absence marks central square as deserted. The abundance of privacy is the most likely reason for Leann arranging a rendezvous at the plaza. _

_ She's sitting on a park bench away from the water fountain. Both legs stretch out in front of her and her arms are akimbo to take up most of the seat, deterring anyone who might consider taking an empty spot. There's an IPod stationed at her hip, with the earbuds already secure in her ears. _

_ Leann is wearing her two-tone pilot's uniform. Despite this, she blends right in with the local fashion scene considering the amount of belts and buckles attached. She could be like any other party girl if he didn't know better. _

_ Kou takes a position on the bench butted up against her's and faces forward. He places his ankle across his knee and loosely grips it with a hand. The other arm settles over the backrest, his posture going for casual. _

_ "So much for my 'nice, long vacation'," Kou seemingly says to the thin air. "What's so important that I need to be called in on such short notice? Should I be worried?" _

_ Leann grunts and says, "Wasn't my decision." _

_ "You have me to blame for that." _

_ A black man in a long, tan trench coat and matching fedora comes at them from the side. He's got a cane, along with the early edition of today's newspaper. Aside from his stylish goatee, the man looks incredibly out of place in comparison. _

_ Kou straightens at the sight of him before remembering where they are, and transitions into hunching over with his hands clasped. He keeps his eyes downcast. "Morning, Sir." _

_ The man nods once, which could resemble any casual greeting between strangers, and takes a spot a little further down on Kou's bench. He props up his cane and removes his hat, setting it aside in the unoccupied space between them. _

_ While he gets situated, Kou works on steadying his nerves. Meeting his superior face-to-face outside of LUKIS is rare. It was strictly digital correspondences, like encoded emails or a phone call. Most times Leann just dealt with him on both their behalves. Kou wasn't sure what it meant if their boss felt the need to be here in person. _

_ Snapping the newspaper open, the cover page faces out at him. The headline 'Mikado Group in Ruins?' is plastered across the top in large, bold font. The whole spread is accompanied by a grainy, but unmistakable, image of the enterprise’s prized satellite mid-explosion. At the bottom, lost amongst the story, was a blurb on a mysterious hospital fire that was continued on page nine. _

_ He'd been curious when the information would break. It wasn't as if the entire debacle with Dauragon, the international megacorporation's CEO, had been conducted subtly. No doubt, the need to spread disinformation about an incident of this magnitude gave every member in high-command a conniption fit. _

Oh_, Kou thinks, trying not to wince at the unspoken scorn. _

_ "My apologies for having to meet like this. I wanted to congratulate you two in person on a successful mission," their boss says, which was the most considerate verse of political bullshit that Kou has ever heard. He's not disappointed when the real rub comes right after. "I've also been instructed to go over some sensitive information with you. With public scrutiny turned on the Mikado Group, discretion is more important than ever. You understand." _

_ Kou coughs into a fist to cover his grimace at the jibe. He straightens in place, resuming his earlier posture. Leann covers for him with a curt, "Of course" as she lifts her IPod and pretends to play with the settings. _

_ "Excellent." Their superior shuffles his newspaper. Kou discovers it's a ploy to open a manila folder hidden within the pages. Inside are crisp, white documents and photographs. At his angle Kou can just manage to identify their testimony mixed in with the stack of paperwork. "In this report, your final mention of the subject is vague. You mentioned that it wasn't at fault for its actions involving the mobilization of the satellite and even assisted in the case. But what is its current status?" _

_ Kou has to stop from grinding his teeth at the underlying implication in the other man's remarks. He understands where his superior is coming from, as Kou had some misconstrued notions about Dominique prior to the assignment. Going from considering her a potentially deadly weapon, much like a ticking time bomb, to a 15-year-old girl took some readjusting on his part. _

_Even after witnessing her capabilities against _multiple _attack_ _models, Kou is confident in saying, "I still stand by my statement: there's no evidence of self-awareness and categorization should remain non-threatening to the public." He shrugs for good measure. "I mean, what's to worry about now? No satellite, no company, no problem! The only one who had the technical know-how to exploit such technology is currently floating a hundred kilometers up in the vacuum of space."_

_ "And what about this here, with the witnesses? If I remember correctly, one of them is tagged on our most wanted list for the assassination of the Mikado Group's founder. Do we need to deal with these individuals on a more…personal level?" _

_ "Who? Krueger?" Kou asks, mainly to buy himself a chance to formulate a response. He pointedly ignores the cold sweat he breaks out in just thinking about Volt's involvement in all this. _

Keep your cool_, he thinks. "Nah, him and the rest won't be an issue. Especially the big guy. Turns out he's really _ just _ a bouncer." _ Don't oversell it, _ Kou adds. "Not a single alternative motive at all." _Shut up, you're panicking_, he chastises himself, _ you’re overselling it! _ "Actually, it's kind of a funny story. Turns out it was all a big misunderst—" _

_ Leann subtly raises her hand to take out and polish her left earbud clean. She uses the diversion to jam her thumb into the delicate junction of where Kou's neck meets his shoulder. Flinching at the sensation, he's broken from his vicious loop. _

_ "Anyway, the people at FATE are none the wiser about us or our objectives. They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time and got wrapped up in all this by happenstance," Kou is able to backpedal. _

_ Leann supplements with, "Sir, with respect, the authenticity of our report can be verified by our findings direct from the Mikado Group's database. They weren't able to purge all their records; some physical proof was even recovered on site. Everything relating to Dauragon's ulterior motives and rise to power, including his conspiracy to murder his predecessor, is already outlined for you." _

_ If it wouldn't cost Kou his job, he would have fist pumped the air in celebration of Leann's relentless takedown. He isn't particularly a fan of being on the receiving end of her cross moods, but it was sexy the way she could knock anyone down a few pegs with a curt statement. It was a lot like witnessing art in real time. _

_ Strangely though, their boss concedes with a short nod. He 'turns' the page of his newspaper, closing the folder, and says, "Indeed. After receiving the materials and listening to both your statements, as the entity assigned to determine whether we persist with the case or not, I see no reason to make matters more complicated than they have to be." _

_ "So we won't be apprehending…the subject or any of the witnesses?" Kou asks for clarification, narrowly referring to Dominique as human. This close it wouldn't do to seem compromised by the case, despite how vile it made him feel to refer to her as less. But if it got everyone at FATE off of LUKIS' radar, it was worth the cost of his soul. _

_ "Correct. Although for political reasons I am going to suggest some light surveillance. Perhaps only for a short while, until which we can determine the case closed." _

_ "Ah, about that…" Kou starts to say. _

_ "Don't worry. Your partner made mention of your volunteering to remain at your post, and while your dedication to the cause is commendable, you will not be tasked with it any longer. We have already lined up your replacement." _

_ A cold shock goes through Kou at the announcement. He plants his foot on the ground as he breaks code to openly address his superior. After floundering a bit, he finally settles on, "Are you sure that's really necessary? As someone already on the inside, I'm prepared to stay on and observe so as not to waste any resources." _

_ More than that, Kou has become invested in FATE. While the major risk to the bar and its inhabitants has been dealt with, his gut tells him that it's only the beginning. Considering all he's seen, the idea that Volt and Sion would be the only forces standing between the dangers of Dog Street is worrying for Kou. _

_ He doesn't get a chance to voice his rebuttal as their boss nabs his hat off the bench. He stands, straightening his coat by righting each button. "Nonsense. The both of you will be receiving commendations for your efforts and promotions back at headquarters. I've already got your next big assignment all sorted out." _

_ "Thank you, Sir," Leann says when it becomes clear Kou is struck speechless, for once. "Your approval to begin a clean extraction? It might be wise to leave our presence here open-ended in case your informant turns over any new evidence to us." _

_ Jumping on her quick thinking, Kou chips in, "You did mention not wanting to raise suspicion." _

_ "Granted, but make it quick. I will see you both returned to the agency by week’s end." Their superior rolls up his newspaper to sling under his arm and takes up his cane to signal the end of their conversation. His walking stick makes a light tapping noise as he wanders off, leaving behind no trace of his presence. _

_ Once their boss is out of hearing range, Kou lets his head slump on the hand propped up on the back of the bench. He sighs, letting his eyes slip closed as he says, "Well. Thanks for trying." _

_ Leann takes her earbuds out and makes a show of slowly twirling the wire around her music player. In typical fashion, his partner goes right to the throat of the matter as she says, "You never learn, do you?" _

_ "Hm? What do you mean?" he asks. _

_ She stands, stashing the device and cramming both hands into her pockets. "How many times am I going to need to warn you not to get too close? You're always getting emotionally involved like this." _

_ "Aw, are you worried about my feelings?" Kou asks, throwing in some charm for good measure. Even if he's not really feeling that into it today. "Come on, admit it – you care about me just a teeny, tiny, itty-bitty iota." _

_ "Save the cocky routine for your friends," Leann says, the final word giving Kou pause. He concludes that he doesn't even want to consider refuting her claim. Leann zips up her jacket against the cold morning air, ducking her chin in the collar as she parts with, "Just…make sure you do all your goodbyes. I won't tolerate regrets." _

_ "Copy that." _

_ She departs, the last to leave Kou by himself to contemplate his predicament. _


	2. Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the present, Kou has spent 8 months getting re-accustomed to life outside of field work. Of course, it fucking sucks. Thankfully for his sanity, that's all about to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The in-game entity known as LUKIS was never really outlined, so I'm loosely basing it on organizations like Interpol and the CIA. I'm keeping LUKIS intentionally vague, though, so hopefully it will still make sense that Kou and Leann would be specialized in the direct handling of cyber terrorism, illegal human experimentation, or general crimes against humanity when it comes to semi-futuristic corporations like we experience in the game, but also unorthodox or extreme drug trafficking cases like in my story. Not that these two _wouldn't_ toe the line when it comes to their assignments even if that weren't the case, but ya know. :>

The indicator light above the elevator ticked closer to the eleventh floor. Kou took advantage of the wait to flip up the plastic seal on the lid of his Styrofoam cup with his thumbnail. He idly sipped his tea.

In his reflection on the metal sliding doors he caught sight of the woman standing next to him. She was older, with her grey hair up in a bun and a black pencil suit that's finely pressed. The woman openly stared up at him and clutched her stack of paperwork to her chest like a protective barrier.

Kou could hazard a guess that he was a little out of her age bracket when it came to her taste in men, so it must have been his guise that she was gaping at. Per LUKIS regulation he was in black slacks and a white, button down shirt. At Leann's insistence he'd even done the top all the way up, though he’d refused to tuck it in. 

The tie and jacket were still a no-go. The black and orange power bead bracelet wasn’t to spec, either, but no one had pried it off him yet. The tribal markings on his arms, chest, and legs were all hidden from view, but the ones on his throat and face weren't so much.

This woman wasn't the first to judge him for his markings. Their prominent appearance had earned him more than one double-take in the office bureau and it was sure to keep happening. After leaving Dog Street, Kou had resigned himself to other people's pointless judgments, like all else in his life.

The elevator dinged, signaling that it had reached his desired floor, and the doors opened to a room full of cubicles. Kou inclined his head to regard his riding companion. She still gazed at him in clear apprehension, so he flashed his best disarming smile and raised his drink at her on his way out. She huffed, the doors closing on her snubbing him with her nose in the air.

_ Maybe the wink was too much? _ he mused, then decided that, _ Nah. The wink is never too much. _

Kou made his way through the rows and rows of partitions to his own five-by-five prison cell. He set his cup down on the corner of his desk so he could safely remove his hip satchel and dead drop it on the floor. He kicked it upright against the side of his workstation to be forgotten until the end of the day.

Plopping down in his roller chair, he turned on his computer and waited for it to go through the fifty million boot sequences programmed into it. He picked up his tea and splayed in his seat. There wasn't much here to occupy him in the meantime, either.

The space was impersonal. There was the occasional sticky note or newspaper clipping, but no pictures were pinned to his walls. The only important one he possessed was stuffed in the bottom of his lowest drawer, next to an unopened gift box the size of a ring case. It was where nobody would likely look and find the group shot of him with the other attendees at FATE.  
  
The proprietor had taken the shot at Dominique’s insistence. She was front and center, with Sion posing just behind her. He’d been trying to show off for her. Kou had been hesitant to have confirmation of his presence there in the form of having his picture taken, but when even Volt was convinced to join there was no refusing.  
  
Dominique had the photos developed and made extra copies so all four of them could carry the memory with them. But it had gotten too difficult for Kou to check on it. As for the dark-wrapped present, he also refused to acknowledge its presence. Hence its buried status in his desk drawer. 

Minus his computer, the one other item situated out in the open was a case of medals. It was covered in dust after almost seven, going on eight, months of neglect. When he and Leann were awarded them and told they were going to be promoted, Kou didn't know it'd come with a cubicle and him dictating _ other _ agents.

It'd been rather demoralizing after their last promotion netted them the Mikado Group case. Worse than that, Kou was now _ bored_. He missed the thrill of all the street action and the interesting people he'd met. Kou didn't feel as if he were contributing anything, operating mostly behind the scenes.

He could tell Leann was feeling the itch, too. More than once word had made it to his side of the water cooler that she'd become testier with senior members and impatient with the new recruits. If she wasn't unleashed soon, Kou was concerned LUKIS might not be able to withstand her temper much longer.

Ringing suddenly echoed from within the top drawer of his desk. Kou jumped and spilled hot tea on his fingers. Hissing at the contact, he set the cup aside and shook out his hand.

With the other, he pulled open the drawer to reveal a corded phone shoved into it. After his last request for more field jobs, even the low-level kind, was denied by his superior, Kou had tossed the entire device inside in a fit of pique. The caller ID read Leann's agent number across the screen.

_ Speak of the devil_, Kou thought as he picked up the phone. He settled it between his ear and shoulder so he could free up his hands to mop up the rest of his spilled tea. His regular trips to the corner deli for hummus and spinach wraps resulted in quite the collection of spare napkins. Those had been stashed in the same drawer as the phone.

"Hey gorge—"

"_Meet me at the gym in an hour_," Leann interrupted.

"That good of a morning, huh?" Kou asked.

Leann hung up on him. Shrugging, Kou replaced the receiver on its stand and nudged the drawer closed with the phone still inside. Accustomed to her brusque mannerisms, he went with the flow of things.

Not that he would have refused her offer. He could use the exercise, as he'd become rather stagnant in his new position. Or better yet, maybe if he unwound her a little bit she'd even stop threatening their fellow operatives.

Getting up from his desk, he made his way to the locker rooms on the same level as the training facilities. He changed out of his constricting attire and into a pair of LUKIS issued gear, which was basically grey shorts and matching t-shirt. When he arrived in the training room proper it was empty save for Leann, most likely by design.

The way Leann was beating the stuffing out of a punching bag indicated it was probably safer to stay away. Rather than backing out the direction he'd come, Kou leaned against the open door frame. He crossed his arms as he observed how merciless she was being. At this rate, the punching bag would burst and join the others that were already shoved in the corner.

His partner was notorious for being cutthroat, in combat simulations or no, but she was a professional. Even for her this was extreme. Something was _ wrong_.

"You're late," Leann intoned. She didn't avert her attention from expertly striking her most recent victim, heavy bag number three. She alternated between rapid punches and pounding into the bag with her knees. Each hit was precise and controlled, but absolutely brutal.

"My bad," he apologized. Now that Kou couldn't hide any longer, he jogged over to her side of the room and offered, "Need me to hold that for you?"

She shook her head, finally giving the punching bag a rest. Leann went over to her gym pack, which was situated a ways on the floor, and retrieved a towel. She wiped down her face and neck, before wrapping the cloth around her shoulders.

Kou braced himself against the heavy bag by loosely wrapping his arms around it, anyway. He asked, "Then what's up?"

"I'll tell you over a sparring match," she said, tossing the towel back on top of her belongings.

In the center of the room was a wrestling mat. It was large enough to encompass three or four times the amount of fighters, but they had it all to themselves. They faced off. Kou assumed a fighting stance – each foot a distance apart, knees slightly bent – with his arms up, whereas Leann curled her fingers to the first knuckle and planted her feet.

"The usual rules?" Kou asked.

"No, none of that flashy stuff. You need to hone your self-defensive training," she said.

"'_Flashy stuff _'," Kou scoffed. Tae Kwon Do was only a culturally diverse style based on decades of refined discipline, but he didn't argue the point. He'd already tried to reason with her and educate Leann on the finer points of his skill set, but it’d gone nowhere. Not that her 'cutting fist' wasn't any less showy, the hypocrite. 

All the same, he adjusted his body accordingly. Kou raised his arms up higher to protect his face and switched up his footing to reflect the way he'd been taught here. It felt strange compared to the instinctive way he'd been trained to hold himself prior to joining LUKIS.

"What's with the review? I'm still certified, you know," Kou asked.

Instead of answering right away Leann rushed him, coming at Kou swinging. He blocked. Her punches sent a small shock up his arms. She kept up the assault, ending with a forward elbow smash that broke his defenses wide open. The move forced Kou back a step.

"It's a refresher, to get you ready for our next mission. A _ real one _ this time, since you've been so mopey lately," she said. Despite her _ false _accusation, Kou was thrilled at the prospect of some well-deserved action. However, his curiosity morphed into confusion when Leann's mood didn't reflect his excitement.

_ This supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing? _Rather than voicing the thought, Kou asked, "What's the—" He sidestepped a heel punch to his jaw, "—perimeters?"

"A drug case landed in my lap yesterday evening," Leann said as they circled one another.

"So transfer it to the local narcotics division? Because last I checked that wasn't our area of expertise."

"You didn't let me finish. It's a drug case involving a _ psychological _substance. There are accounts of altered behavior and growing death counts. One of our own was already on the case."

Kou made the mistake of faltering in his tracks. "Wait, 'was'? Who?"

She took advantage of his hesitation to deliver a harsh series of punches. He couldn't dodge all of them, leaving him winded for the moment Leann dipped to knock him flat with a leg sweep. Kou fell, stunned long enough for her to put him in a headlock. Close to his ear, she said, "Sin was in charge of the operation."

He choked, both at Leann's death grip and at the news. Cynthia ‘Sin’ Hatzi was best remembered from his group poker nights. She was gruff, with scars all over; some even covered her face. Her forte with knives made Sin a prime melee specialist – one of the agency’s _ best_. But she'd light up at the mention of her kids. She had pictures of them pinned in her office like a shrine.

When all of Kou's maneuvers failed to release him, he tapped out. Leann dropped him without preamble, sending him collapsing to the floor. He coughed, pounding a fist on his chest to clear it so he could hack out, "Aw, damn. Didn't she just adopt another kid?"

"Twin autistic boys, actually," Leann confirmed. She eased from her haunches to sitting down, wrapping her arms around her knees.

Rubbing a hand across his face, Kou just had to know, "How'd it happen?"

Her expression turned stormy as she said, with clear disdain, "The local authorities that found her in the gutter labeled it a 'drug overdose'."

"A mother of three, now _ five_, times over committing suicide? Not fucking likely." Kou rolled his eyes for emphasis. Even if her cover story was unrelated to her true identity and the cops had no way of knowing her family situation, it was at least obvious to them. "That was a deliberate hit if I've ever heard of one, and it can't be from any average group if they got the drop on her."

"Exactly; this was no accident. The fact that her body was discovered so out in the open was probably to serve as a warning, but we don’t intend to listen. It's up to us to stop the people responsible," she said. Kou didn't call Leann out on her atypical interest in revenge. In fact, this might be the first time they were on the same page about getting personal. When it came to one of their own, justice was best served with extreme prejudice.

"It gets better," Leann said, her next words hitting him worse than any finishing blow she could have dealt during their sparring. "The center of it all? Our old haunting grounds. We're going back to Edge."


	3. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kou and Leann make their way back to Edge, where he quickly acquaints himself with old haunts and new prospects, old friends and new faces. It all goes as well as to be expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter a wild VOLT appears! Eventually! For a little bit! But finally! Which will hopefully offset just how much of a setup chapter this one turned out to be...

The motel Kou and Leann were assigned was located on the far end of town. The idea was to be close enough to act as their overall hub, but out of the way to avoid suspicion. What the place _ wasn't _ picked for was its ambience.

To compound matters the pair were forced to share a room. The coordinators involved argued cover story authenticity and yadda, yadda, yadda. Kou distinctly heard Leann muttering under her breath about 'those blasted budget cuts again'. That better explained the cheap single bed, busted floor lamp, and carpet with suspicious stains on it.

As soon as they were inside their suite Leann dashed toward the desk to begin setting up her laptop and surveillance equipment. Kou left Leann to do her thing and tossed his travel bag on the mattress. His luggage didn't bounce on impact and, once settled, narrowly sunk through the bed.

"Well, darling younger sister of mine, which side of this thing do you want?" He couldn't resist making a dig at their false identities. Kou was able to resume his, whereas Leann…not so much. Those in charge saw no logical reason for private digs like before, considering their mission wasn't meant to last long enough to justify the use of a secured safe house or apartment. So to better explain their cohabitation she was now babyface Leifoh.

"All of it. _ You _are taking the floor," she quipped. Leann threw something over her shoulder. He caught it midair, centimeters from his nose. "Plus you're on active duty tonight, so get ready."

"Right, right."

Kou beheld the burner phone she’d tossed him. It was the type that folded in half – more compact and inconspicuous than his previous model. He flipped it open with a flick of his wrist, checking his contacts and messages. Of course, Leann was his only listing (who he promptly renamed ‘The Brat’). Delivered to his inbox was a test notice from her own device, which he deleted as a precaution.

Snapping the phone shut, Kou dropped it on the mattress next to his bag to free up his hands and rummage around inside. When he didn't find what he was searching for he yanked everything out, including a small black-wrapped box, and piled the items haphazardly on the paisley bedspread. He groused, "Hey, what happened to my cargo pants?"

"Burned them. Probably," Leann said distractedly.

"For _ these?_" Kou held up the offending leather pants the requisition officers had seen fit to provide him. Also mixed in was a large assortment of other leather products, like belts and bracelets, along with band t-shirts. "Do I look like a 17-year-old to you?"

Leann stopped in the process of plugging her machines into the wall socket to stare at him. He cleared his throat. "I said _ look_, not _ act._"

"Hn." She resumed her task. Her laptop chimed as it began charging. More devices hummed and lit up. "It's only temporary. Besides, your roster has you going to some different venues than your last visit. You'll be sure to blend in better with those clothes."

"Whatever you say…" Grabbing some of his other affects, Kou went to change in the privacy of the moldy bathroom.

While he was switching out his traveling suit for his 'disguise', Leann called through the door, "Okay, our network is active. I've established communications with our informant; the one that replaced you? She'll meet you at FATE around twenty-one hundred hours."

Kou almost tripped over his pant leg in his haste to reach the door. He managed to get his attire situated around his waist, although not zipped up, so he could maneuver around the tight space. Opening the door to peek his head out, he asked, "Did I hear you say I'm going to FATE first thing?"

"Correct. Didn't you read the docket?" Leann asked, typing away at her computer.

"I did," Kou lied. Unless opening the folder long enough to fall asleep with it over his face on a red-eye to the closest LUKIS base counted, in which case he totally, definitely, positively read their mission report.

Finished with whatever she was working on, Leann turned in her rickety chair to stare quizzically at him. "Then it shouldn't be a problem, right? I thought you would be excited to see your old comrades in arms."

"Nooo." Thinking on it, he determined, "I'm not-_not _ excited. You said nine 'o' clock?"

"Affirmative."

"Cool. Got it," Kou said, shutting the door again. Staring down at his stack of clothes, he decided if he was going to show his face at his last known hangout then some alterations were in order.  
  
  
  
  
  
Kou later found himself stepping foot in front of FATE's designated entrance. He'd kept the stupid leather pants, but the Ed Hardy t-shirt had the sleeves rolled up to show off his arm and shoulder tattoos. He'd also taken a knife to it and torn a straight line halfway down the middle, starting at the top, to get as close to wearing his old vest as possible. When Leann wasn't looking he'd snatched her fingerless gloves, although they were tight in the palm.

He tilted his sunglasses to peer overtop the rims and see the neon sign turned off, signaling that the bar was closed. Not a surprise, given it was a quarter past four in the afternoon. Inclining his head, Kou saw the alleyway leading to the service entrance and nudged his shades back into place.

The back way was sure to be locked, too, but Kou ignored the buzzer by the flat metal door. He remembered a method to sneak in without a key since the building was an old car-detailing place and hadn't been renovated since its conversion into a bar. The old man in charge hadn't seen fit to update the simple locking system since he sometimes lost his own set of keys.

Kou ran his knuckles along the seam in search of a small indent and gave the area a firm series of varying taps with his fist. The seal released with a satisfying _ clunk_. With the door now open he meandered inside.

Nothing looked to have changed in his absence. The small storeroom led to a hallway still covered in cheap wainscoting made of dark, wooden tones. Every other fluorescent light was switched on to allow for safe passage. A whiteboard with taped off sections and employee names were listed on the right.

He adjusted his aviators, resting them on his forehead, to better follow the shifts assigned to each person. Sion had the first time slot, whereas Volt wouldn't be coming in until much later. Kou wasn't sure if he was relieved or not by that turn of events, but opted not to delve too deeply into the feeling. Strangely enough, Dominique's name was jotted down in a few places with sticky notes. He tucked that bit of information in the back of his mind for later.

The hallway opened up to the rest of the establishment with its parked red sports mobile and card tables. Kou was sure the jukebox that had been stationed in the loft remained considering the soft jazz music that filtered from above the stairs. Chairs were upside down on the tables and the lights low, the room empty save for his old employer sorting and replenishing stock.

Kou's footsteps had been near silent, but the old man had a sixth sense that couldn't be rivaled. Without glancing away from his task, the owner said, "We're closed. If you're a vendor then come back during operating hours."

Chuckling, Kou said, "Well now, how's that for a warm welcome?"

The other man finally turned in his direction, his eyebrows raised high. "Huh, I'll be! Long time no see, Kou."

"Evenin', Boss." Kou resorted to the man's title rather than his name. He’d never given one and everyone had always just referred to him as 'Boss', in the same vein as 'Coach' or 'Sergeant'.

Even if he hadn't been in charge of Kou for awhile, it still felt good to say. As far as supervisors went Kou considered FATE's owner one of the best, especially when it came to charity cases. Kou would know, considering he'd been one of them. It was a ruse, of course, but that didn't cancel out the bartender's kind hearted nature. Or more accurately, his soft spot for little girls who vouched for total strangers ‘just down on their luck’.

Kou stepped inside the room and bellied up to the bar. The chairs were old, the velvet seats worn in places. All the same he could appreciate how lovingly it hugged his ass. This was the closest to home Kou had felt in awhile.

"Back for your usual?" he asked, already reaching for a pint glass to pour Kou a drink. In preparation and out of habit, Kou grabbed one of the coasters and flipped it onto the countertop.

"You could say that. Got some personal stuff to deal with, but I thought I'd swing by to make sure the place hadn't burned down in my absence." Although he would be meeting with one of the agency's informants tonight, Kou figured it couldn't hurt to do some prior reconnaissance. If anyone knew what might be happening in the area, it was the man in front of him. "How are things, really?"

The owner set the drink down in front of Kou and resumed his groundwork for the night. He was able to recap for Kou without missing a beat, his motions like second nature. "Truth be told, business has gotten even slower. Ever since that club at the north end of town reopened things have died down. KISS, I think it's called? Some colorful monstrosity, you can't miss it."

Kou made a noncommittal noise. There was a lot of hotspots that Leann instructed he investigate and Kou wondered if that was one of them. Any new entertainment epicenter was bound to stir up a commotion, but that didn't necessarily mean anything _ illegal_.  
  
In fact, it was expected that such places would test the market by pushing boundaries. It would be more unusual if they _ weren't_. Any place that hoped to survive in a busy, competitive market needed to play rough and if Leann hadn't gotten a bead on them it might be nothing.

Not wanting to seem too obvious, Kou inquired after the others. The owner nodded his head, motioning to the back of the bar. "Ask them yourself. There's Sion and Dominique now."

He swiveled in his seat, but Dominique greeted him faster. She'd been in the middle of talking Sion's ear off when she spotted Kou at the bar and let out a surprised squeal. "Kou, you came back!!"

The double exclamation marks in her salutation were easy to hear. He offered her a hearty wave in return. "Hey, princess! I told you I’d visit, didn’t I? I see this place hasn't sucked all the sunshine out of you."

"Nope!" she agreed, and to his surprise Dominique hugged him real quick around the middle. "_You _look a little different, though."

"Good different, I hope."

"That new gig you were talking about must be paying off," Sion said in lieu of his own welcome, eyeing Kou's clothes. In some respects, Kou would grant that the requisition officers had been generous with his wardrobe this round. Even if their tastes were in _ extreme _question.

Sion's words weren't snide, either, like he feared. Turned out the kid was still mellowing out while Kou was away. He felt even more relaxed when Sion held out a first to bump with his own.

Dominique didn't seem as sure. She gave Kou a serious onceover, her pointer finger tapping at her bottom lip. Her head tilted to the left, then to the right, and settled on leaning in real close to squint at him. Kou tried not to balk at her intense scrutiny.

Coming to a decision, she offered him a bright smile and a thumbs up. "Yeah, it's cute! The short hair looks good on you."

Kou laughed to hide how dead inside he was at the comment.

While growing up and during his initiation into LUKIS his entire appearance had been dictated for him. He'd become rather spoiled by his role as an undercover spy. When Kou was pulled off the street and condemned to run interference as a desk jockey he was forced to cut it to regulation length again.

His hair was currently as long as he could get away with, which wasn't nearly as much as he'd prefer. The hairs in front and on the sides were fringed, with the rest in the back sheared shorter. The barber had done their best to layer it, but there was little saving the look.

The style was in that annoying stage where Kou couldn't do anything conductive with it, like tuck it behind his ears or tie it back. At least while Kou was on assignment he wouldn't have to worry about hacking it off again to appease high-command. He fully intended on taking advantage and letting his hair grow out while he was able.

"How long you been in town? Does everyone know you're back yet?" Sion asked, resting an elbow on top of the bar.

"Today, in fact. I just got in a little while ago," Kou said. He sidestepped the rest of the question and steered them into answering what they'd been up to while he was gone.

"Oh!" Dominique's entire face glowed as she pounced on the chance to regale him. "You'll never believe this."

"Believe what?" Kou asked. Rather than reply directly, she undid her yellow jacket with a dramatic flair. For one, extremely terrified moment Kou worried what this must look like. There was no time to shield his eyes or avert his gaze, though Sion and his employer didn't seem overly concerned with a teenager potentially flashing an occupant of FATE.

Turned out Kou needn't worry, either. Underneath her raincoat was an outfit similar to the boss' own formal attire. She had on pressed black shorts that came down to her knees, a white blouse, and a dark silk vest. Instead of a tie there was a great big bow tied neatly around her neck to match the one in her blonde hair.

_ Oh thank God_, Kou thought after taking in her full (and _ practical_) form of dress.

"I'm a waitress here now!" she announced. That explained her presence on the employee timesheet, Kou reflected. "I just take orders and bus tables, but I'm having so much fun. All the people here are super nice and tip me really well because they think I'm doing such a good job."

Kou slid a leery glance in Sion's direction. While he was positive Dominique _ did _ work hard at pleasing the patrons of FATE, knowing the bouncers here as closely as he did, Kou wouldn't put it past Sion or even Volt to ensure that she was treated fairly and compensated accordingly. Or _ else_. The fact Sion avoided meeting Kou's eyes confirmed as much.

Good on them, honestly. Kou would have done the same if he were still on the bar's payroll.

"Congrats on the promotion! It's a big step up from mascot. You should be proud," Kou said.

She giggled, thanking him. The group of them talked a bit more, but when it came time for Sion to go guard the door their discussions broke off. The three of them continued as Kou assisted Dominique in righting the chairs on the ground and resetting the tables with napkins, coasters, and the like. Then it was just him when business picked up.

He receded away from the major festivities by taking up residence at the end of the bar, not wanting to be noticed. And contrary to the owner's claims of waning business, the first opening night of the week had the place jam-packed, which allowed him to disappear even more.

Kou nursed some Shinra Ale, having moved on from a glass to the whole bottle. He people watched, or more accurately _ eavesdropped_, and checked the sports scores on the television screens to pass the time. The longer the night dragged on, however, the more antsy he felt. Kou wanted to be gone before the end of Sion's shift since he still needed to investigate the surrounding area tonight.

A quarter to nine or so a woman with light hair split in pigtails and wearing denim short-shorts took the last vacant seat. Kou had to stop from doing a double-take when he realized her jean jacket was actually tied off by the sleeves to make her shirt.

She flagged down the bartender, the many silver, gold, and bronze bracelets on her arm jangling. The woman requested the same brand of drink as him – the call sign for LUKIS informants. Kou kept his back against the bar's edge and elbows perched on the surface, his bottle in one hand. He lifted the container in solidarity and said, "Interesting choice. You've got good taste."

The woman mumbled a word of thanks and took a short pull from the bottle. She was unable to mask her disgust. Not an actual fan of the stuff, then.

Kou could relate. He'd been forced to acquire a penchant for the drink or perish in the line of duty. He was convinced that the higher-ups hadn't picked the brand just for its lack of popularity, and thus narrowing down the chance for mishaps, but out of spite.

"Ya look new here, sugar. Gotta name?" she drawled, giving him the opening he needed.

"Name’s Kou, and sort of. I used to work here and was feeling nostalgic," he said. "Anything exciting happen while I was gone, miss…?"

"Hahah. Leonelle – though my friends call me Elle." The woman played it up with an inviting smile before bracing to take another sip of ale. She threw a glance over her bare shoulder, staring at Dominique, who was jotting down drink orders for the boss to prepare and distribute. "Can't say as I recognize ya, but I've been comin' here ever since the place reopened after that vandalism incident. Ya could say I've become a right regular, so believe you me when I say this is the last peaceful place in all of Edge."

Kou hid his relief. With the girl present he wasn't able to ask the proprietor or Sion about Dominique's ‘condition’. As far as he was aware, her less-than-organic nature was still a secret. He'd kept a few tabs on the situation in his absence, but there was only so much he could access from his cubicle without being apparent. But having a third, unbiased opinion on her wellbeing and seeing Dominique so happy for himself alleviated his fears.

"That so? You make it sound like the rest of the neighborhood is going to hell."

"Might very well be," Elle said wryly. "Lotta strange things goin' on lately. Mainly havin' to do with this – I dun know, new fad drug? I think they're callin' it Mind Sweeper. Sounds like some kinda video game to me."

"Not my poison of choice," Kou hazarded, holding up his bottle of ale as tribute, "but to each their own, I guess."

Elle shook her head. "Ya best be keepin' that opinion. All sorta people suddenly havin' complications with it. Didn't use to be that way, but rumor is the police are runnin' outta jail cells for all the crazies that are pillin' up. And, well…"

Her hesitation seemed genuine, piquing Kou's curiosity. He urged her to go on and she leaned in conspiratively close. Kou inclined his head to the side to listen better.

"Not sure if it's related, but word on the street is that people are startin' to drop off the face of the planet. No pattern to it, neither. Young, old, rich, poor, ya name it.

"Some are layin' blame on that up and comin' joint – KISS. I heard a buncha kids might've dropped dead after hangin' out there and more have gone missin'. Has the locals really crackin' down jus' incase, but it ain't enough if ya ask me."

That was the second instance in which he'd heard mention of that place by name. He bumped it up on his list of hotspots warranting a more _ immediate _visit, if it wasn't already near the top. He wanted to do a little more research prior to his travels, though. No reason to blindside himself.

"I sure picked a swell time to check in," he said.

Whatever else their exchange might have entailed was interrupted by a notebook as it was slapped on the bartop between them, startling Kou and Elle apart. Dominique looked cross and her tone was uncharacteristically cold when she asked, "Can I get you guys anything?"

Kou glanced along the length of the bar. Boss looked to be multitasking amongst the crowd fine, not to mention he'd kept them topped off thus far. He wasn't sure if Dominique was just being overzealous or what.

Elle shrugged, shaking her three-quarters full bottle to signal that she was set for now. Kou transferred his gaze to the clock displayed on the television and started again. It was much later than he realized. He chugged the rest of his ale then rifled through his wallet for some cash.

He left enough on the counter for both his and Elle's tab, plus a generous tip for the bartender (though not _ too _generous, given his limited budget for the op). Kou waved the cash in the air so that the owner would notice. The other man frowned, but nodded in understanding.

To Dominique, Kou said, "Nah, nothing else for me. It's getting to be about that time. I gotta head out."

Despondently, she asked, "Aw, so soon? But Volt hasn't come in yet! Don't you wanna say hi?"

"Maybe next time, your highness." He slid out of his chair, offering both girls a wave. "Nice seeing you Dom, and you too, Elle. Catch you on the flipside?"

"I'll be here." And since Kou knew what to look for, he could identify the weak way in which she said it. Elle waved her bottle in farewell, not even looking at him when she took the tiniest of sips.

Kou exited out the front in hopes of avoiding the aforementioned blond bouncer, and of course ran into Sion. He uncrossed his arms when he spotted Kou leaving. "Bit of an early night, isn't it?"

If Kou were being honest, he was kind of flattered by the sentiment. Not that he'd lost sleep over lonely nights wondering about being missed at FATE or anything silly like that, but having everyone he had run into so far expressing their interest was touching nonetheless. He patted Sion on the shoulder in passing. "Sorry man, but I need to vamoose."

"Will you be coming back?" Sion asked.

"If my side gig allows," he relented, not wanting to promise anything.

There was no allotted time frame for the assignment, just the implication that results were expected and _ soon_. Besides, Kou and his partner both wanted to prevent anyone else from being hurt, which called for many late nights and a lot of leg work ahead of them. As much as Kou enjoyed seeing his old friends, he'd rather clean up the streets for them than put FATE at risk.

Sion perked up, the expression bewildering considering the message he just delivered. Then Sion pushed away from the wall, nodding his chin behind him. "Lookit, Volt did make it after all. You didn't miss him."

_ Fuck_, Kou thought. His shoulders bunched together, but he didn't turn around. _ Fuuuck_, he mentally added as Sion called out to garner Volt's attention as he ascended the steps. Sion roped him around the arms and forcibly dragged Kou around. _ Fuck, fuck, fuck_, Kou chanted until his mind went blank at seeing the other man for the first time in almost a year.

Volt looked good.

Like, _ really _ good. The leather jacket and jeans were the same, as was the hair and kohl-rimmed eyes. The fact he still didn't bother with shirts made it obvious that Volt had applied _ so many _new piercings since Kou’s leave. He wasn't sure if he could find and count them all.

There were dermal studs along each collarbone, three per side in graduating sizes. A new set of hoops had joined the previous ones on his left eyebrow and several more along both ears. One was even an industrial, the bar spanning the top of his right ear.

Kou didn't realize he'd been standing there, staring, until Volt raised an eye ridge at him. His piercings danced with the motion. If anyone beat a confession out of him, Kou would claim they were shiny and thus very, _ very _distracting.

"Hey! Yeah, see, I just dropped in real quick between…ya know," Kou blurted, tone of voice a bit louder than he'd intended. He wasn't even sure if Sion had reintroduced him or if Volt had said anything to him yet.   
  
_ Oh God_, Kou needed a flash flood. A grade five tsunami. _ Anything _ to spare him from this situation.   
  
What he got was his cell phone ringing.  
  
Kou jumped at the unexpected noise, too high-strung, but he eagerly pulled the device from the recesses of his pants pocket. He checked the reader across the front. **THE BRAT **scrolled across the green pixelated screen in bold typeface. “Huh, speaking of, I'm running late. Try not to work too hard, you two!"

And like a coward, Kou disentangled himself from Sion's grasp, leapt over the railing on the concrete steps, and hightailed it out of there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Denim**: Anyone from the 00s-01s should be able attest to the absolute abundance of denim (or "jean" material) in everyday fashion. I fondly remember such examples as [Britney Spear's red carpet dress](https://www.eonline.com/fr/news/729308/britney-spears-justin-timberlake-s-denim-date-happened-15-years-ago-today) and basically everything [Destiny's Child](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ef/2e/f0/ef2ef011b53992425eb6b3d052125536.jpg) wore for awhile. 
> 
> I wanted to pay homage to that with Leonelle, who's wearing [this particular little number](https://us.boohoo.com/tie-sleeve-denim-top/DZZ01533.html) I stumbled across in my research for the ultimate denim attire. It's hideous, it's funky, it's _perfect_. So hopefully everyone can understand Kou's double-take when he first laid eyes on it. 
> 
> **Rock Culture**: Another reference/homage is in Kou's own change in clothes. Since my research turned up very little in the way of Japanese fashion and history during late 2001 (and I sadly couldn't find anyone to discuss it with in time...) I went with inspiration from musical bands like Blink-182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N' Roses, Gorillaz and the like. I was originally going to have him go with "scene" or "emo" culture attire, but felt it was _too_ dramatic a change so I went with the more diverse "rock" aesthetic that was really popular as well. The leather pants also lead me to my final point...
> 
> **Squall Leonhart**: Before I really started delving into the franchise, [Laguna Loire's](https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Laguna_Loire) uncanny resemblance to Kou Leifoh struck me right away. I would later find out it's because they were designed by one and the same Tetsuya Nomura! Gotta respect a guy who loves his OCs so much he'll reuse them endlessly (I'm looking at _The World Ends With You_ in particular here). 
> 
> _But Snarechan_, you say, _the reference note says Squall Leonhart and not his father!_ That would be because I thought it would be absolutely, positively, without a doubt hilarious if I put a reverse Squall Leonhart situation. The usage of leather pants and short hair should have hopefully invoked his image rather than Laguna's, hah hah!


	4. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation has led Kou down a slippery slope of introspection and frustration when it appeared to hit another dead end. Just when he had about given up...the band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand back to your regularly scheduled plot! And I like to think it's a doozy, too. It's got espionage, it's got action, it's got Elvis, it's got...a cliffhanger? I'd say don't worry, but unfortunately the next chapter that's in the process of being edited is a flashback snippet. >:D I tried breaking up the main story into three part increments, so we were due for an intermission soon. 
> 
> It'll be worth it, I promise! At the time of this chapter being posted, _all_ twelve of the main chapters are now 100% completed and just require beta reading, with the thirteenth "bonus" chapter in the rough stages. My hope is that by the time the main story is uploaded I'll hopefully have it done. Everyone can count on seeing this fic to completion and shouldn't have to wait long, yay!
> 
> As for this part, for your reading pleasure be sure and listen to your favorite 1950s music, sit back, and enjoy. It'll make sense when you get there.

Three nights.

_ Three whole nights _ of casing a quarter of the city and Kou didn’t have shit to show for it. Every bar, tavern, pool hall, club, and lounge had come up empty. He'd even tracked and followed-up on the odd twenty-four hour coffee shop with little results. Not that he had a whole lot to go on during these beginning stages of his investigation, Kou tried to reason.

His leads were a combination of local hearsay and the scant information Leann was able to cobble together from Sin's remaining files. Obviously, none of it had panned out so far. Whatever break in the case that had sent Sin down the rabbit hole and gotten her killed had _ miraculously _vanished. They'd surmised that it was either stolen from her (clearly tossed) apartment or taken to the grave with her.

Kou was bitter, although not with Sin or her work. From what he had seen, she was a meticulous and dedicated agent. Over beer and blackjack Sin would recount how determined she was to clean up society, to guarantee a better, safer upbringing for her kids.

She'd been well on her way to doing so. The assignment he'd inherited wasn't her first big project – merely one amongst a couple dozen. A deed attributed to her was the eradication of the fourth biggest cartel in the northern hemisphere. The group's narcotic deals had started to go international with pharmaceutical grade steroids when she put a stop to them.

No, her work ethic and accountability wasn't in question. Kou just didn't care about seeing an agent felled like she was. Having her character sullied in such a way screamed of a hit, a _ vendetta_. And having his hands tied and unable to do anything publicly to clear her reputation rubbed Kou raw.

It was an unfortunate reminder of the occupational hazards of the job. Sometimes their members didn't so much retire as be 'terminated', in all meanings of the word. Sin had ample opportunity to make enemies in her position and this particular case was no exception. He and Leann would have to settle for getting peace of mind for her family by catching the people behind her murder.

Which would be a lot easier to accomplish if he wasn’t _ still _stuck at square one.

His current whereabouts were looking to turn out the same as his other stops. Rockabilly, a themed bar and grill that expressed an unparalleled appreciation for the King, wasn't outwardly sinister. On Kou's initial pass he'd made some small talk with the barkeep, dancers, and even some of the other attendees. Most weren't talking, but those who did had the same rehashed stories all the other venues shared.

One day everyone seemed to be enjoying the newest, hottest drug. Then all hell broke loose. Some people got off lucky with minor memory lapses. Others acted like their entire personality was wiped and became totally different people for a short period. More and more simply lost their literal minds and then their lives, sometimes taking other people down with them.

Kids were calling the alteration 'Berserker Mode' with idle shrugs. Not that Kou blamed them for the blasé outlook. Those that made a living here needed to rationalize whatever they had to if they wanted to retain their own sanity.

As for Rockabilly, Kou had returned despite his aversion to the music. While his initial sweep had been rather tame, his gut was telling him that something wasn't adding up and warranted another visit. Security outside had been unnecessarily tight; two bouncers were stationed at the door at all hours. Kou knew his credentials were spotless so he'd stood his ground, but having the twin terrors scrutinize his ID had struck him as overkill.

To compound his suspicions was how _ empty _ the place was. Aside from the skeleton crew manning the floor there were barely any partygoers, which didn't correlate with how intense safety measures were set up. There wasn't enough clientele to worry about rabble rousers causing a disturbance, nor enough revenue coming in to justify the imbalance in staff.

The lack of crowds made it difficult for Kou to camouflage his presence. Mingling was out since there were no new faces so he'd receded to the furthest, darkest booth possible. He'd nursed his drink as long as he could, but after the third rendition of _ Blue Suede Shoes _ and _ Rock Around the Clock _Kou was ready to call it quits.

There were no signs of a threat and he worried that maybe his intuition was on the fritz. A glance at his watch confirmed that it was almost closing time. While it pained him to admit defeat it was no use wasting another minute on what was amounting to be a dead-end.

Reaching into his back pocket for his flip phone, Kou dialed the motel he was sharing with Leann. The attendant sounded nasally and bored as they recited the place’s name. Kou was redirected to the private line in their shared room at his request. He rested the cell phone between his ear and shoulder while waiting for Leann to pick up. She did so on the fifth ring, per their procedural agreement.

"_What do you want?_"

"I'll have a ham on rye, but hold the mayo," Kou said.

"_That is NOT our catchphrase_," Leann reprimanded him, but the joke was on her. He'd gotten her to break formalities in less than five seconds, which was a record best for him. "_But if you're being flippant like this then I take it your hunch was a bust?_"

"Yeah." The word came out more like a deflated sigh. "My progress is that I _ haven't _ made any progress. I guess it's back to…the drawing board…" Kou trailed off as he caught sight of two guys in suits.

They had just walked into the club. A man with with slicked back hair and rings on every finger, some layered with more than one, carried a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. The other one was wearing a baggy, blue suit and talking into a cell phone. Three men created a semi-circle around the two in suits. Ducking back into the recesses of the booth, Kou angled his body away from the group's direct line of sight, but made it so he could watch where they were heading.

"_Kou? Hellooo, are you still there?_" Leann asked.

"What? Oh, yeah," he said, lowering his voice. "Forget what I just said, I take it all back. A couple mooks and their mooklings just came in. I'm gonna tail them."

"_Keep me apprised of the situation. If you don't have an update for me in twenty minutes then expect backup_," she said, their previously lighthearted tone quickly evaporated.

"Pft, there's only five of'em. I'll have this wrapped up in half that." Kou hung up. While he waited for the all clear he subtly dabbed some of his alcoholic drink along the pressure points of his neck.  
  
When enough time had passed, Kou floundered his way after them. As he headed to the back of the establishment Kou bumped into a few of the sparse patrons or tables for show. Per his prediction everyone gave his ‘drunken’ self a wide berth and left him alone. 

The rear of the building narrowed into a hallway that led to a single door. All the sounds originating from the bar were slightly muffled here. A pair of guards, two of the three serving as protection detail, were stationed in front like the bouncers outside. Kou faux-stumbled towards them, letting his drink slosh around in his glass and pour every which way over the sides.

They keyed in on him, with the guard on the right stepping forward to confront Kou. "Hey buddy, you can’t be here—"

"Hey!" Kou greeted him exaggeratedly. He waved his free hand, akin to someone responding to a friend's attention-grabbing behavior. "Look man, I can see the line for the restroom, but I _ really _ gotta take a piss. Ya mind?"

"You need to turn around. You don't belong here," the guard reiterated.

"Nah, _ nah_, I know this is it. So if you'd just—" At the loudest beat drop of _ Jailhouse Rock_, Kou raised his glass and slung the beer in the guy's face. He screamed as the alcohol burned his eyes. Both of his hands flew up to wipe it away to no avail.

"_Let's rock. Everybody, let's rock. Everybody in the whole cell block. Was dancin' to the Jailhouse Rock._"

The second guard charged. Kou reared back and tossed his pint glass. He sidestepped the projectile, but Kou was ready to deliver an open palm to the throat. Stunned and doubling over in pain, Kou was able to knock him to the floor with a heel kick to the temple. The guard dropped without ever putting up a real scuffle.

"_Number 47 said to number 3, you're the cutest jailbird I ever did see_."

Despite squinty, bloodshot eyes, the first assailant recovered enough to attempt a rear chokehold. As soon as his arms wound around Kou's neck he channeled every bit of retraining Leann had literally pounded into him. He ignored his instincts to grab the guard's hands and slammed his elbow back in his sternum once, twice, and was hindered on the third as he lifted Kou off his feet.

"_I sure would be delighted with your company. Come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me._"

He curled up, going in the direction he was pulling him in, but shot his legs out at the last minute to slam the guard back on the ground. Kou threw him over his left shoulder and wriggled loose. It wasn't the most graceful maneuver to behold, but Kou was able to twist his arm and deliver a vicious knee to the nose.

And with that it was over, the fight not having lasted longer than five minutes.

_ Well on my way to that halfway mark_, Kou thought smugly as he caught his breath. Once he could trust himself not to give away his position, he crouched at the door. Kou opened it a crack to reveal a wide-open room with crates, stacks of booze, and some small moving equipment along the perimeter.  
  
There was coverage for him to drag and hide the two bodies of his felled opponents and remain concealed. It was a close call when a guard's head got caught on the door jamb during the whole process, but nobody seemed to notice the noise.

He ducked behind some shelves. Peeking around the corner, Kou spotted the suits clustered together, grumbling about…the meeting running late? No, some_ one _ was running late. But for what? Kou crept closer, wanting to hear them better.

"The Chameleon is always pulling this shit on us," griped the man wearing a loose jacket and matching baggy pants. "What's even the point? It's been days and nobody's blown a whistle on us."

_ The Chameleon? _ This was the first that Kou had heard of anyone by that handle. He wracked his brain for a related cryptonym and came up with nothing. Whoever this Chameleon was must have read a ton of comic books growing up because there was no better sounding name for a super villain.

"You know the boss," the other man said from his sitting position on a wooden box. He had all the golden jewelry and the suitcase strapped to him. He rolled one of the rings on his index finger with his other hand in idleness. "They are not stupid. The only reason we have remained anonymous this long is due to their vigilance. You should be grateful – and _ patient._"

_ Wait a tick_, Kou thought as he diverted his attention to further inspect the room. He could have sworn he counted _ five _ individuals, and with two already dealt with and the other two in front of him, where might the fifth person have gone? As if to answer Kou's mental question there came an insistent tap on his shoulder.

Slowly, he inclined his head to find himself eye level with a set of legs. They were encased in a pair of jeans that were threadbare and ripped in places, including the knees. Trailing his vision upwards, Kou stopped on an equally torn denim jacket and a fist menacingly pounding into the heel of the other hand.

Kou offered his most smarmy grin and finger gunned at the man. "Yo. Would you believe me if I said I got lost looking for the bathroom?"

The guy cracked his neck and then his knuckles in reply, lobbing his fist at him. Kou scrambled backwards on his hands and feet, narrowly avoiding an orchiectomy. The concrete where he was huddling splintered under the assailant's fist. Kou almost lost his head next. If he hadn't dodged then his head would have been concaved rather than the metal shelf.

"Huh? What's going on over there?" one of the suits shouted. Through the gaps Kou spotted them turning toward the commotion. They started to jog over when it became apparent they weren't alone.

Three against one weren't great odds, but Kou's immediate attacker gave him an idea. After observing the guard hit the shelf and jostle the piece of furniture, it was obvious that the rack wasn't bolted to the floor.

Kou raised his arms and batted the other man's attacks harmlessly away. He became enraged as each punch missed, his impatience starting to show Kou several openings. Kou aimed a well-timed kick to the guy's knee, then immediately brought the same leg up to crack the guard in the nose. Blood spurted everywhere as his head reared back. With his torso exposed, Kou planted his boot on his chest so the rest of him slammed into the shelf and toppled it over.

It collapsed on both suits, effectively trapping them underneath the body of their guard and whatever else had been stored on the rack. They struggled, but were unable to budge it. Kou coolly walked around and kneeled by Ring's head.

"Hey, I know it's late and you lot are tucked into bed, but mind if I ask a few questions?" he asked. The man stopped his thrashing and his sneer turned into a smirk as he gazed up at him. Warning bells went off in Kou's head, but not soon enough to avoid the sudden prick to the back of his neck. He hissed, slapping a hand down on the entry point and whirled around.

And he kept spinning. His legs gave out on him. He blinked, but the lights overhead only got dimmer and dimmer. Someone in shadow stood over him. Kou couldn't make out their features as his world narrowed from white,

to gray,

and finally to black.


	5. Interlude #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to Kou's announcement that he's leaving FATE, starring Sion and Dominique!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With the posting of this flashback, the gears continue to churn and we're closer to the results in both 'sections' of the story now! *rubs my grimy hands together* Tbh I've really enjoyed the setup of my story; it's been a challenge and a privilege to explore this franchise and think critically about all the characters involved. But as a reader I also understand the anticipation, hah hah! Starting with the next chapter it's all uphill action, return to budding romance, and answers to intrigue. 
> 
> Well, _most_ answers, anyway. 0:}

_ Regulars are starting to mill into the bar again. It's been long enough since Mikado Special Forces trashed the interior of FATE that repairs have been completed and the city has approved them for operation. _ Although_, Kou notices from his vantage point above the main floor_, they're still missing quite a few recognizable faces.

_ Business will hopefully keep picking up as word continues to get out that the bar is serving again. It'd be a shame if – after all they did to protect their own, Edge, and the world at large – FATE was bested because of consumer doubt. Not that anyone would believe them about their adventures since the media has swept it under the rug, but it's the _ _ principle _ _ of the thing. _

_ "You've been awfully quiet, Kou." _

_ He's leaning against the railing of the loft, his bottle dangling from his lax fingers. He glances over his shoulder to see Sion in the chair he's claimed as his own. Even when he isn't there everyone, employees and attendees both, leave it unoccupied lest they meet with a vicious headbutt. The kid is protective and possessive in all the strangest ways. _

_ "Have I?" Kou asks, curling his fingers under his chin. _

_ "For you? Oh yeah," Sion says. The flats of his shoes rest on the edge of the table and both hands are behind his head. If he hadn't turned his cheek away Kou might have fallen for the act, but the other bouncer was fishing for something and feeling guilty about it. _

_ "Everything with you…ya know, okay? Not that I'm worried or anything. Kind of been enjoying the sound of my own thoughts once I could hear 'em," Sion is quick to assert. _

_ Kou chuckles, but contemplates his answer instead of rising to the bait. Ever since his superior at LUKIS ordered him and Leann to return to the agency, he's been putting off the announcement of his quitting. They have until the end of the week to finalize any arrangements and Kou has been eking out every possible second that he can. _

_ Except time is running out. In a few days his apartment will be scrubbed, his replacement implemented, and his identity iced as he makes his merry way back to headquarters and away from FATE. _

Gotta face the music sometime, _ Kou decides with no small amount of dismay. His smile is crooked as he turns and leans the small of his back against the railing instead. Locking eyes with Sion, he says, "Alright, you caught me. I've been thinking about how I was going to break it to you all that I'm leaving." _

_ Sion jolts, his legs slipping and almost sending his chair out from under him. He recovers enough to right himself, but his elbows catch on the tabletop as his seat slams down on all fours. He looks gob smacked and sounds lost as he asks, "What?" _

_ "You're leaving?!" _

_ Both men divert their attention to the stairs, where Dominique is standing at the top. Neither of them had noticed her approach. Dominique's consternation is written clear across her face. _

_ "I'm sorry to break it to you, but I am," Kou reaffirms. "After that whole thing went down with Mikado I got a job offer I couldn't refuse. There’ll be a lot less ‘excitement’, if you catch my drift." _

_ "Sure you can!" Dominique says, looking to Sion for help. When he just continues to sit in stunned silence, she stamps her foot. "But you just got here! You like it with us, don't you? How do you know you'll be happier with them?" _

_ "It's not that. I love you guys, but the pay will be higher and make for a better living," he tries to reason. It sounds hollow to his own ears, especially after what everyone went through together, but he remains firm. "Besides, this bouncer gig was always just to tide me over. You know that." _

_ "B-but…" She falters, her lower lip trembling. _

_ Kou feels awful putting them through this, but that doesn't keep him from taking advantage of the fact that neither they (nor anyone else on FATE's payroll) could refute the unspoken reminder that while the business is good, it isn't _ great_. _ _ At least not enough to justify three bouncers for the long term. He'd been hired on borrowed time from the beginning. _

_ "You can always visit, right?" Sion croaks. His hands clench on the tabletop, but he clears his throat. Sion’s tone is a little closer to his usual lofty self as he says, "Don't be a stranger and all that bullshit." _

_ "Of course! Maybe not right away since I'll have to get settled into the new position, but if the job allows I'll stop back," Kou stresses. He doesn't want to promise anything too concrete. He has no idea, much less any control over, where LUKIS will assign him next. It could be weeks or months or years or _ never _ when he next shows his face around here. _

_ The notion has his stomach curling. _

_ "I guess that's okay." Dominique sniffles and rubs the sleeve of her yellow jacket across her eyes to rid them of the tears threatening to shed. Then she does a one-eighty, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You better let us throw you a big going away party, though! No buts." _

_ "As her royal highness decrees," Kou says. "Keep in mind I'm telling the boss-man my last night is Friday—" _

_ "Friday?" she parrots, aghast. Dominique runs both hands down her cheeks in distress. "That's in two days! I have to hurry if I want to plan everything." Ignoring the rest of what Kou was going to say, she spins on her toes. She takes the steps two at a time as she runs down the stairs and out the door. Dominique bursts out of it like a cannonball, understandably startling Volt who's standing vigilant on the other side. _

_ Kou can't hear them from this far away, but he surmises Volt is asking whose ass he needs to kick for sending her outside in such a tizzy. Dominique's flailing arms and excited tones are probably her version of recounting the last ten minutes. At the end Volt's entire demeanor drops, his expression inscrutable as he looks up at their perch. _ _ When Sion speaks up, Kou is grateful for the excuse to escape from Volt's gaze. _

_ "Hey, so…I guess congratulations are in order?" Sion says dubiously, it coming across as more of a question than a statement. _

_ "Heh, it's okay. You don't have to pretend to be excited on my behalf. I'd like to have given a longer notice," Kou confesses. He'd planned for a vacation, not a resignation, but it was out of his hands. His superior had set the deadline, after all. "But hey, the Boss' budget will be thankful for the increase, right? You might even get a raise out of it." _

_ "You're more than a paycheck, Kou. You're gonna be missed." Sion scratches behind his ear at the open show of emotion, seeming to struggle for words. Kou is still proud of his efforts. _

_ The kid has come a long way since Kou started, and from what he'd heard prior to his acceptance into FATE. A whirlwind of animosity and self-destructive tendencies, Sion had been aloof even with Dominique on occasion. But sometime during their group's traversal of the Mikado Group's inner mechanisms, everything seems to have come into perspective for the young bouncer. _

_ They'd all seen firsthand how destructive unmitigated violence and power could be on a person's mind. _ _ The fact that Sion had decided on his own that he didn't want to ever be a part of that oppressive system is heartening to witness. He has really stepped up and calmed somewhat in nature, showing promise. Kou is just sorry he won't be here to see Sion continue to grow into the confidant man he is sure to become at this rate. _

_ "Well, uh, good luck. Keep in touch," Sion finally settles on. He raises his arm in camaraderie, to which Kou walks over to offer a wrist-bump in acceptance. _

_ "Thanks, and you too," he says. Kou hopes it’s enough to convey how sincere he is. _


	6. Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kou wakes up in unfamiliar territory, attached to a chair, and with two of the least amused criminals to date. Thankfully, someone lit the Bouncer-Signal and help is on the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's that time to heed the warning tags, folks. If you're uncomfortable with torture/violence or unconsensual drug use then this is the part to avoid. If you require a summary of events I'd be happy to provide - just [DM me on twitter](https://twitter.com/snaurus) or [message me on Tumblr](http://snaurus.tumblr.com/) and I'll get to you as soon as I'm able!
> 
> Otherwise, I'm kind of ashamed to admit how excited I am for this chapter? XD; Or at least for the ending. Not only does it officially mark that we're halfway-ish with the story, but that slow burn is starting to pay off! I also credited Philophrosynae in my introduction for beta reading this story, but I'd like to do another shout out because this chapter in particular would not be as powerful or amazing without their input. So my thanks again for the continued assistance!

A sharp pressure around Kou's torso roused him into awareness. His head was pounding, the strain centered behind his eyeballs and made it difficult to discern anything beyond the fact that he was being strapped to a chair. Inclining his head felt as if he were moving through tar. He clenched his eyes shut until the sensation passed.

"_Damn_, this guy is a lightweight. How much longer is he going to be out of it?"

The tightness around his chest increased and made him grunt in discomfort. He opened his eyes to slits. This time, Kou was able to distinguish that he was in a different location. It didn't resemble much of anything – there was no cleaning supplies so it couldn't be a supply closet and the lack of funk from sweaty gym socks meant he wasn't in a locker room again. Kind of a shame that his enemies weren't dumb enough to repeat that stunt twice in his lifetime.

A single bulb hung from the ceiling, but it was still blinding to his sensitive vision. Everything from the floor to the walls were made of solid concrete. There were no windows on any surface or temp-control to speak of. He did spot two metal doors, the one in front of him and another on the far end of the left side. 

"Give it a minute more. The boss hit him with a whole dose, so he will be out of it."

Movement in Kou’s peripheral vision directed him to the right, where the man dressed in all blue came out from putting the finishing touches on tying him down. He tapped Kou on the cheek with the back of his hand to rouse him faster. "Hey! I see you moving around, so give it up."

Kou flinched, but was caught in his restraints. The rope was, he was unfortunate to discover, expertly tied. In addition to his upper body, his ankles were affixed to each chair leg and cords were wound from his wrists to his forearms on the armrests. In a professional capacity, Kou was impressed with his captors' foresight, but as a captive he was less than thrilled.

Looking up from his predicament, Kou slurred, "Oooh. Kinky" and only had to fake it a little. Whatever he was injected with was some powerful shit. His tongue felt like sandpaper in his mouth and his thoughts were muddled.

Blue rolled up his sleeves and revealed a lizard tattooed on one arm. As far as intimidation tactics went it was subpar, but the tablescape adjacent to his ringed friend was not. Laid out across its surface was a leather roll with various sharp, metal objects and syringes tucked into the pockets. Jars filled with powders and colored liquids were spaced in an orderly fashion. Even drugged out of his mind, it didn't take a lot of Kou's brainpower to figure out where this meeting was heading.

_ Just gotta buy Leann enough time to do her thing_, he steeled himself. She'd hopefully gone for his shorter timestamp than her own, not that Kou had any way of telling how long he was unconscious. Fingers crossed that his partner was rushing to the rescue, regardless.

"So 'Kou', if that is even your real name…" Rings said. The briefcase handcuffed to his wrist was gone, signaling that whatever handoff that had been planned was either completed or the contents were relocated. 

Kou tutted. "Aw, baby, don't wear it out like that. Says so on the ID, doesn't it?"

"Ah, good, a wise guy. My favorite."

"Nuh-uh, none of that," Blue interjected. "I ain't got all day to be spending on this. My gal is waiting to spend time with me on our anniversary."

"Oh-ho, a threesome?" The promising suggestion earned Kou a sucker punch to the face, hand delivered by Blue himself. It cut across his cheekbone and sent his head snapping to the side, blurring his vision again. He managed to wheeze out, "Is that a no or is that foreplay?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted this the easy way or the hard way, but my compatriot here sealed it. Easy it is," Rings said. The phrasing had Kou puzzled as the man walked over to the table of torture instruments. He grabbed a vial and a needle, drawing the mysterious liquid inside the syringe while nodding his head to his friend to take hold of Kou.

He cursed and leaned away, but there was nowhere to go. Both of Blue's hands took him by the jaw and tugged his head to the side so Rings could inject him with the stuff. He punctured Kou in the same area as the initial injection site, giving him an idea of what a pincushion must feel like.

"Let us start off with something simple," Rings began. "How much do you know?"

"Know about what?" Blue slapped him. Grunting, Kou's head snapped with the motion. The entry point of the needle _ burned_.

"How much. Do you know?" Rings enunciated.

"About fisting? How your attack dog over here hits like a limp dick? Come on pal, give me something to work with here." Kou knew he had a mouth on him – it was all a part of his cultivated image. But whatever filter Kou assumed he possessed was nonexistent. The neurons in his brain were no longer communicating with any sort of delay.

The man who injected him appeared unperturbed by Kou's bluntness, and even went so far as to conversationally say, "We understand you work with LUKIS, but how much is on file? Details, if you please."

"Lucas? What—" His ability to concentrate was wavering. Kou's mouth was drier than before. He shivered, despite how feverish he felt. "—what about him? He's such a swell guy. Wouldn't be caught dead associating with you jackasses."

"Should we give him another dose?" Blue asked, ignoring Kou's muttering.

"Not yet. We already gave him some prior to our interrogation; anymore after this last batch and he is done for. That is what cost us the girl, remember?" Rings said.

_ Girl? Do they mean Sin? _ Kou didn't, _ couldn't_, organize his thoughts beyond contemplating the possibility. His mind was wandering, each musing drifting into the next, especially when Blue worked him over some more.

He grabbed Kou by his shirt, tilting him back on two chair legs. The rapid change in scenery gave Kou a serious case of vertigo. His stomach churned ominously.

"You found us despite all we did. You've _ got _to know something. What is it?" Blue asked.

"Get off it, man. Nobody knows about the Chameleon—" He couldn't snap his mouth shut fast enough.

Blue caught the slip, prompting, "You got a name, eh? What else?"

Kou bit down on his tongue and refused to answer. He couldn’t accidentally reveal anything incriminating if his mouth wasn’t flapping.

The man holding him must have given some kind of imploring gesture because Rings sighed, shuffling around with his equipment. "All right, I am upping the amount. But do not come crying to me if the boss has your head for killing off another source."

"_Finally_, goddamn."

Rings readied the next vial when there came a knocking – not a gentle rapping, but a faraway pounding sound. One, _ thunk_, two, _ thunk_. And then a whole bunch of screaming ensued.

The needle hovered just over Kou's neck when Rings paused, not yet injecting him as he tilted his head towards the closest exit. "Those novices, what is it now? Do they not know we are in the middle of a delicate procedure?"

Kou heard voices, or at least he thought he did. One of them even sounded like they were yelling his name. Blue glowered down at him, his fist still curled into the fabric of Kou's shirt as he asked, "The hell you chuckling about?" Kou hadn't realized he was laughing and smiling. He probably made for quite a sight, what with the blood on his teeth.

"You're all _so_ fucked," he declared, seconds prior to a strong force ramming into the steel door and blowing it off its hinges. Rings cursed, dropping the injector to reach for the gun stashed to his belt. Kou couldn't resist pointing out, "Oh no, don't do that. You'll just piss him off."

Him, of course, being Volt. He didn't look winded from putting a crater in a solid metal door. His head swiveled around the room until he zeroed in on Kou fixed to a chair, bruised and battered, with two goons on either side of him. The blood and needles were also pretty damning.

At the sight of it all Volt made a fist.

The leather of his glove creaked in the tense silence. The noise was like a bell signaling the start of a wrestling match because Volt descended on them like a full-fledged cage fighter. Blue released Kou's shirt, sending him tumbling backwards, while the three of them proceeded to go head-to-head.

Kou's temple smacked the concrete floor. Later, he'd consider how unfortunate it was that he never got to witness Volt pummeling the suits into paste. Volt had such a way with his hands; it should be rated an eleven on the ten scale of most attractive qualities. But the fact of the matter was all Kou registered were periodic bursts of sound – gunfire, a table overturning, glass breaking, wild yells.

He only started to come to when the last of his bindings were loosened. It took a minute more before Kou realized Sion was talking to him. He'd never noticed his friend's approach, much less identified him calling Kou's attention.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay," Sion rambled under his breath. Taking Kou by the arm, he hauled him up. Kou nearly pitched all the way forward but Sion reared him back with a frantic pull. Sion rectified with, "Er. We got you, don't worry." Kou nodded to the best of his ability, not trusting himself to talk. Who knew what might come out if he chanced it?

He glanced at Volt to see him hauling up what was left of Rings, the scene resembling someone peeling gum off the sidewalk. Volt demanded to know what had been done, but Rings was in no condition to explain. He was frothing at the mouth, the whites of his eyes so apparent the red veins stood out.

They were surrounded by some of the broken jars and needles. Rings must have been contaminated with something because his sophisticated demeanor was replaced with a raging madman. Volt looked to be struggling to keep him in a headlock, until the suit convulsed in his arms. His snarls turned to choking and then his body seized. Sneering in disgust, Volt released him. The other suit was also unmoving, gone the same way as his partner.

So much for _ those _ potential sources.

Kou blinked, finding himself upright without knowledge of how he got there. That would explain why his body was swaying. He blinked again and Volt was suddenly in his space, steadying Kou as he listed to the side.   
  
"Well hello, fancy making your acquaintance," Kou joked.

"Uh Kou, what the hell?" Sion asked, both his arms raised in indignation. "We got a weird phone call just before close saying you've been taken hostage and we rush over here to see you – I don't even know, dude."

Volt was much calmer in comparison, his eyes searching Kou's face. His hand still gripped Kou's uninjured shoulder, freezing cold in comparison to the boiling of his skin. He didn’t waste time inquiring about specifics, instead asking, "Are you all right?"

In a burst of clarity, Kou said, "I believe I'm having an adverse effect to an incapacitating agent."  
  
Both men gaped at him.

"What?" Sion asked in a small voice, then shook his head. "You sound stupid smart when you're high. How does that even work?"

Volt frowned, about to ask something else when the sounds of pounding footsteps echoed into the room. A commotion was happening outside, down the hall from where they'd come. Considering they were standing in a room with two dead bodies and a scene out of a horror film it was wordlessly and unanimously decided that the best course of action was to disappear.

With a mumbled, "Hold tight" Volt hoisted Kou over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and booked it for the far door, the one _ not _yet yanked off its frame. Sion sealed the door behind them by heel dropping the handle. They rushed down the narrow, empty hallway. It had no distinguishable marks and resembled an underground access.

Kou let his eyes drift shut against the harsh, overhead lights and the floor rushing past. His head dangled there as he lost pockets of time. He only came back to himself because his stomach started to make its presence known again. Kou croaked, "Ah, Volt? While I can't complain about the view I sense I'm about to be sick."

"What did you say?" Sion asked, peeking around the bulk of Volt's torso. His eyes widened at the sight Kou made. "Oh, _ shit_. Are you supposed to be turning that color?"

At the implications Volt stopped dead in his tracks. In one, fluid motion he set Kou on his feet, turned him around by his arms, and directed him to lean over the railing to throw up. He was just in time, as what little beer and finger food Kou had eaten in the previous hours came back up with a vengeance.

When Kou was done heaving he realized they were back at FATE, in the alley leading to the rear entrance. With its boarded up walls and abundance of garbage it was a beautiful sight to see. Volt and Sion each led him by the arm into the building. They escorted him up the stairs to the semi-breakroom located in the loft. Kou was kind of ashamed that they were carrying the majority of his weight there, but he was too weak to do anything about it.

Dominique was pacing like a whirlwind. She must have known about his ordeal, too, since the moment she witnessed them accompanying Kou she narrowly bowled him over in her attempt to reach him. Her hands wrung themselves in worry. "Oh _ Kou_, you look dreadful! Are you okay?"

The guys eased Kou onto the sofa underneath the large window. He sunk into it gratefully. Kou gathered his resolve enough to reassure her. "I'll be fine, princess. It's worse than it looks." He offered Dominique a smarmy grin for her trouble, but the gesture only seemed to cause her more distress. Oh, right, he'd forgotten about the blood in his mouth.

"Is there anything we can do for you? Anything at all?" she insisted.

Kou was about to refuse her offer when a thought came unbidden. "Yeah, actually. You know that herbal shop on…where…" He couldn't remember the exact name or location, just a vague idea that came and went. Kou motioned toward the door, indicating east somewhere. "They should be open soon. Think you can go and get me some pu erh?"

"Yes, of course! You can count on us, we'll get you exactly and specifically whatever you ask for," Dominique promised, leaping at the chance to be helpful (as he expected). But not before she failed at discreetly leaning into Sion, her hand covering her mouth as she stage-whispered, "Do _ you _know what that is?"

He whispered back, "No, but I know the store he's talking about. We can ask the owner, right?"

"Okay! We're going now, but we'll be back with your…thingy. You just stay _right here _and relax," she announced much louder. Dominique took Sion by the hand and dragged him out the front of the bar.

During the exchange Volt had vanished, leaving Kou to his own devices. With no one around he popped open his belt buckle to reveal a hidden compartment. Inside was a small collection of pills just for this sort of occasion, all in varying sizes and colors. Without bothering to sort any of them, he tossed back the entire handful and swallowed them dry.

With that dealt with Kou resealed the compartment and leaned forward. He rubbed his forehead and shielded his eyes from the lights. He was so deep in trying not to upchuck and waiting for the medicine to kick in that he didn't notice when he was no longer alone.

He jolted as something cool touched the side of his neck, where the skin was inflamed from being injected several times. Kou twinged as that set off a wave of dizziness, reconsidering any rapid movements in the near future. He thanked Volt for what turned out to be a chilled soda can and applied pressure to keep it in place. His shoulders dropped in relief.

The other man took a seat on the sofa next to him, leaning into the corner with one limb on the armrest and the other along the top cushions. His lounging took up most of the seat, their knees rubbing. He could feel Volt's piercing stare, and practically heard the gears turning in that pretty little head of his. Kou knew it would be too much to ask him to let this go and braced for impact in four, three, two…

"The kiddos are gone to get your hangover cure and I sent Boss home. It's just us," Volt said, true to form. "What have you gotten yourself into? And don't bullshit me about 'personal stuff'."

That was one quality he'd always admired about Volt: brutal in body _ and _ mind. Kou could count on him to be two steps ahead of everyone else, and usually backed with both fists. For that reason he was hesitant to lie. The odds of Kou getting anything past Volt was slim to none, and that was on his good days when he wasn't drugged up to his eyeballs. 

"You know that Mind Sweeper scare going around town?" he asked, skirting the direct issue.

"Hard not to, considering both of those thugs that abducted you rolled around in it and went ‘Berserk’," Volt said wryly. "It's been an effort to keep it outside of FATE, too."

"Well, I have a friend—" Kou broke off, although not for affect. "_Had _a friend. Cynthia." He refrained from using a last name, unsure if her real one was exposed or not considering the foggy circumstances behind her death. "She'd just adopted some twins – special needs, you know? Because that's what her husband and her did, taking in the tykes that nobody else thought were worth a chance.

"That was the quickest way to get on her bad side. Preying on kids, I mean. Cynthia wanted to stop Mind Sweeper from hurting anyone else and must have gotten mixed up in it because whoever's responsible stopped her first."

Volt bowed his head at the news. "It sounds like she was trying to do the right thing. That's hard to find in Edge."

Any other time Kou might have appreciated the sentiment, but right now he didn't want placating. Could be the drugs incapacitating his abilities, but also…having Volt listening, letting him _ vent_, was kind of freeing. Even if Kou was omitting particular details.

"I know what you're going to say next, but you can save it. Cynthia deserved better, her family _ does _deserve better and I'm going to personally see to it," Kou said. An uncharacteristic seriousness laced his tone, earning him a raised eyebrow from Volt. "If our roles were reversed she'd be out there hunting the party responsible, so none of that 'this isn't what she'd want, give it up' crap. I'm not stopping and you can't make me."

Those were bold words coming from someone in his current condition, but Kou was resolute. After his confession, Volt reached over to take the aluminum can from Kou's hands. At some point during his speech Kou had lowered the drink and started to clench it between his fingers, leaving divots.

Gradually, Kou relinquished the drink. Volt replaced it just under Kou's eye, on the mark blossoming on the high of his cheekbone. He went to hold it in Volt's stead, but the other man didn't let go when their hands brushed.

"For as long as I've known you, nobody can say you're not stubborn," Volt relented. He hadn't looked eager at Kou's declaration, but he obviously understood because he nodded once.

"I think the term you're looking for is ‘persistent’."

The front entrance burst open and tromping came up the stairs as Dominique led the way. Volt released his hold on the drink; Kou hadn't even realized they were still in contact. 

"We're back!" Dominique said, as if her and Sion's presence weren't audible from the next district over. She brandished a cardboard carrier, the case having been clutched protectively to her chest. "We couldn't figure out which ones you needed. According to the seller there's an aging process that makes the potency different?"

Relieved at the turn of events, Kou said, "Oh, that's—"

"So Sion and I splurged to get all four types that were available! The owner _ swore _it's safe to drink them at once because they're the real thing."

"—great," he finished lamely. Kou wasn't looking forward to quadruple variations on putrid swamp water, but serves him right he supposed. The earnest expression Dominique wore as she popped open the carrying case and presented one of the cups made it impossible for Kou to refuse. He accepted the drink with grace, dignity, and a silent prayer that he wouldn't choke on the first sip before necking it.

"Mmm, yummy," Kou gurgled. Turned out he desperately needed the hydration more than he thought, but the tangy, rich aftertaste made it seem like he was using algae mouthwash. "Thanks."

Dominique beamed at him and probably would have shoved the other three at him if Volt weren't feeling charitable (even if he _ was _smirking at Kou's misfortunate). He said, "Come on, let's get you rested up. I'll take you back to where you're staying."

"I think you folks have gone out of your way enough for one lifetime. You can just call me a cab."

"Are you sure you should be alone right now?" Volt asked dubiously.

Kou reached into his pants pocket, where his cell phone had remained intact. At least the suits had failed in _ one _respect. Waggling the device in the air, he said, "Don't worry, I won't be. Got a roomie back at the roach motel." When Volt looked unconvinced, Kou added, "Trust me, they'll turn me over so I don't drown in my own vomit and everything. Scout's Honor."

"His funeral," Sion said regiddely to the group at large, and was the one to go and make the arrangements. While Kou waited for the taxi he texted Leann. She responded in point-five seconds: **status report NOW**. Kou tapped out, **extraction successful. eta in 30.** At her confirmation he deleted the thread. With his remaining time he nursed his tea under Dominique's watchful eye and tried not to retch any of his internal organs.

He was happy to meet the cab at the curb under his own willpower, although Volt's light touch on Kou's lower back made the process easier. The other man also made certain Kou didn't smack his head on the roof of the vehicle as he gingerly climbed into the back seat. Kou rattled off the motel's address, but Volt was still peering in at him from the side door.

"You'll let us know how you're doing," he said, phrasing it more like a demand than a request.

"Every hour on the hour," Kou pledged, and only then was he allowed to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Pu Erh Tea**: Yes this is a real tea and yes that's how you spell it, lol. I did a ridiculous amount of research for this throw away line, but Volt is 100% correct in calling Kou out on sending Sion and Dominique on a wild goose chase because this tea is best known as a [hangover cure](https://www.therighttea.com/benefits-of-pu-erh-tea.html) and not really as an antioxidant or "cure all" for ailments. And random fun fact - I also ran across countless debates in forums where this tea was often rated as most people's least favorite due to it's [super heavy fermenting process](https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1169/pu-erh-tea).


	7. Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kou and Leann go over their shared resources and are in the middle of concocting their next move when they have an unexpected guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't an April Fool's joke, I really am updating the story today! I usually wait a couple days into the month to be sure I've done everything I can to make a chapter perfect, but with covid-19 going on I feel like now is a good time to release what distractions I can, when I am able. May all my readers and everyone else out there be safe during this tumult time.

Kou flicked through the pages of a thick, black journal. In his search for a particular passage he skipped over clipped magazine articles and photographs tucked amongst the notations. Littered along the motel room floor were other notebooks, some stuffed full to bursting.

He'd situated his back against the mattress and stretched his legs out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. Mixed in were some manila folders, whose contents were scattered across the carpet. This was the only space big enough to accommodate Kou and the evidence altogether.

Since his abduction from Rockabilly he'd been nursing a saline bag and chugging tofu soup for going on two days. Trapped in their motel room, but unable to remain stagnant, Kou had been leafing through what information Leann had managed to recover from Sin's things. While the other agent's portable database had been lifted, after another exploratory attempt Leann had discovered that Sin had stashed physical backups in the form of notebooks in her car under the shoe mats. It’d almost escaped notice after the vehicle was towed and left to rust in a scrapyard.

The light reading got Kou through the longest stretches of Leann doing fieldwork in his stead. After his run in with the thugs and returning to their shared room, Leann had hauled him inside and subjected Kou to all kinds of checkups. While waiting for his test results, she'd made the executive decision to enforce bed rest and limited his physical involvement with the case.

His partner had just returned from running errands and resumed her station at the only desk in the room. Two laptops were situated side-by-side. The equipment on her left had two windows splitting the monitor, whereas the second laptop was her designated workstation.

"Were you able to gather anything useful?" Kou asked. Finding what he was hunting for, he laid the book in his lap and ran the heel of his hand along the center of the spine to keep it from closing. A table with scribbled numbers spanned both pages. "I _ think _ that's what this chart was referring to. These could be coordinates since one of them lines up with Rockabilly. And the rest might be dates and times. Sin must have figured out the meeting spots for some kind of drop-offs."

"Doesn't matter now," Leann said. "Rockabilly was crawling with law enforcement and spectators when I got there. Once the activity died down and I was able to sweep the place, what little evidence remained was contaminated."

"Damn." His head fell back against the bed as Kou considered potential options. "You think it was an inside job? I mean, _ obviously _ someone covered their tracks, but was it dirty cops? The staff? Someone else?"

"You know I hate speculating," she said crossly. "There's no way of telling who might be backing this group without further data. That's why I plan on infiltrating the precinct later – the morgue, in particular.

"I hacked their records, but was unable to confirm if either of the men who'd apprehended you were admitted. Whoever's in charge seems to favor the tradition of hard copies. But if they did examine those bodies and we can study the compounds they were exposed to, it could lead us to the source and in turn the financial backer. If they _ aren't _ there…"

"Then we're screwed," Kou concluded in her stead.

This issue was rampant in all the notebooks he'd perused. Edge wasn't called the 'meat grinder' capital of the nation for no reason. It was common for people to be used or abused, and then vanish with zero explanation.

Worse still, Sin had documented that anyone even remotely involved in Mind Sweeper tended to get lost in the shuffle of missing persons cases. Those same people could be any of the discarded bodies dredged up from the river, mutilated beyond recognition, or permanently misplaced. So even if an incident correlated with the case, tracking all of them was a crapshoot.

It could just be an example of the local law enforcement saving face or being inept. _ Or _it could be something more sinister if a powerful corporation were involved. Criminals that were efficient as well as conniving were a dangerous combination. Kou hated it when the bad guys were, as Sion once aptly put it, 'stupid smart'.

Although, they _ did _ have access to one confirmed victim. He asked, "That reminds me: did we ever get Sin's toxicology back?"

"Oh, yeah. It was sent over earlier this morning," Leann said. She pressed a sequence of keys on her laptop and dragged something with her mouse. It transferred to the motel's television. She'd hotwired the device into her machine. The news channel looping a segment on a rise in strange behaviors, extreme violence, and death rates minimized to the bottom corner so Kou could see the details better.

A bunch of chemical charts with medical jargon filled the rest of the TV screen. Mixed in were Sin's overall autopsy reports. Kou felt some grim satisfaction that the majority of her wounds were defensive, meaning she'd given her captors one hell of a fight.

She explained, "The coroner didn't uncover any traces of Mind Sweeper in her blood work, but there were heavy doses of the same material you were subjected to. Apparently, it's a known substance since LUKIS has it labeled as a psychoactive."

"They drugged me with a _ truth serum?_" Kou asked incredulously. That would explain the motor mouth syndrome and other severe side effects, but it was such an unexpected extreme that it seemed surreal.

But it was real and it did happen, upping the stakes significantly. Kou had anticipated some level of expertise, but not this degree of sophistication. It was a close thing, then, that Leann had made the split decision to act or or his partner might be looking at an autopsy report for him that looked just like Sin's.  
  
Reflecting on it, Kou wasn't sure if he ever properly thanked Leann for tracking his phone and taking the risk of contacting an outside source – namely Volt and Sion. Not that she couldn't have handled it herself, but being clear across town Leann had made the right call to send in the nearest cavalry.

"Hey… I'm not sure I ever mentioned it, but thanks for having my back," Kou said, wanting to make amends before it could be too late.

Leann's fingers stilled and hovered over the keyboard. "I'd say we're even, but I know you realize it's more than that."

Swiveling in her chair, Leann offered him one of her bigger smiles. It was barely an uptick at the corner of her mouth, but Kou knew it was the equivalent of beaming on anyone else. "After almost sacrificing yourself for me on our first team assignment… You showed me what a true partnership can be. You might be a pain in the ass, but you're _ my _ pain in the ass and we're stuck with each other."

"Whatever, sweet talker, you just don't want to train some newbie to replace me. _ And _ you're not off the hook about getting me a drink," he said, unable to resist the opportunity to tease her. She harrumphed and went back to her computer. While the exchange was heartwarming, it wasn't enough to distract Kou from the impasse they'd run into. "So we really have _ no idea _ what this mysterious 'Mind Sweeper' is yet? Not that anyone is buying if someone is still selling. I mean, who even creates a drug that kills its intended clientele?"

"Technically most recreational drugs can be fatal if the quantity is high enough," Leann pointed out.

"Yeah, but this badly? Unless they're a bunch of sloppy amateurs servicing nothing but first timers." Neither of them needed to contemplate that possibility. The facts contradicted beginners entering the industry and no one in Edge was naive enough to commit suicide via roulette. "The episodes seem to have escalated. Like a trial, maybe?" 

"But testing for what? I'm not discounting the idea, but without samples we have no idea what this drug is intended to accomplish. The group isn't making any money – at least not from addicts." Shaking her head, Leann said, "Until we learn more it's still a bunch of conjecture. Not that I'm hopeful. We should prepare ourselves; if anyone at the morgue is operating off the books then their documentation might be doctored or fabricated."

"We'll worry about that if you can recover the files," Kou reassured her.  
  
He closed the journal in his lap and stacked it with the others. The rest of the folders were also organized and prepared to be stashed in the ceiling air vent of the bathroom, which thankfully hadn't functioned from the moment they stepped foot in the room. It made for an ideal hiding place while they were both gone.

"In the interim, I guess I'm back to legging it. I've been following up on this new place called KISS—"

"I haven't cleared you for active duty yet," Leann interrupted.

"Aw, _ come on_," Kou whined. Actually _ whined_. But he was liable to develop cabin fever if he was trapped here another night by himself. "I'm fine – better than fine! And besides, you can't be expected to carry this case by yourself."

Which was one of his lesser, partial lies. Kou wasn't one-hundred percent back to full force yet. Mentally, his cognitive abilities had returned, but physically he bore the marks of his kidnapping. The side of Kou’s neck was covered with an adhesive patch to protect the puncture wounds from further infection since they currently resembled a major allergy outbreak. He was more upset by the bruising on his gorgeous face, though. The swelling from Blue’s knuckle sandwich had finally started to go down, but sleeping on his side was impossible.  
  
Regardless of his condition, this assignment couldn't wait for him to get his shit together. While locked in this room he'd watched as news stories related to the incidents increased in notoriety. High-command was getting antsy since the case had entered the global sphere. Matters were only going to get harder for them if they didn't wrap things up soon.

Leann's disgruntled expression had Kou scrambling to explain, "Look, as I was saying, I've been keeping tabs on KISS. Nobody can figure out who's running it. Anyone that enigmatic is bound to have some worthwhile secrets. I can pay KISS a visit while you're busy at the precinct, doubling our productivity."

"You'll have to be discreet since you might have been made. Your captors are dead, but we have no idea who jumped you and they might be out there waiting," she warned. The identity of his assailant, the superior who the two suits were eager to meet, remained unknown. Leann's warning was a harsh reminder to be vigilant and Kou had no intention of being fooled twice. “Furthermore, I don’t want you overexerting yourself. We have no idea the long term effects of your abduction.”

"Light duty, got it." He nodded in understanding. Leann didn't argue – which was _ worse_. It was never a good sign when she would rather withhold her opinions than be forthcoming with him. "What else?"

"It's against LUKIS protocol to be seen together and risk us both getting caught. And I do need to investigate those other leads, but—"

Someone knocked on their motel door.

Kou and Leann froze, then they locked eyes. Kou mouthed, '_Were you expecting company?_' Her response was to tear off the handgun she'd strapped to the bottom of her desk. She unfastened the safety as they crept to the door. The news channel that still filtered out of the television and the shabby carpet masked the sound of their footsteps.

Kou waited until she was hidden behind the door and she nodded in assent before he checked the peephole. Broad, leather-covered shoulders and pectorals capped with dermals filled the viewer. He reared back, shaking his head, then squinted through the peephole again. The image hadn't changed.

And he would recognize that chest anywhere.

Signaling Leann to hold her position with his left hand, he unlatched and cracked open the door. Kou kept his hand on the doorknob and blocked off the room as best as possible. For his partner's benefit, Kou said exaggeratedly loud, "Well, well, well! What an unexpected pleasure. To what do I owe this visit, Volt?"

"I'm swinging by to make sure you're alive. Dom was worried when you didn't check in," Volt said in the same vein as 'cut your crap'. He didn't pretend to entertain Kou's flirting – disappointing, as always, but not unexpected. The flash of something pleasant at the other man's concern was quickly smothered by the statement.

"Hah hah, sorry man, I was just about to leave a message at FATE." Kou didn't know how to follow that up, so he segued into, "But as you can see I'm perfectly okay!"

"Enough to be going somewhere?" Volt asked, taking in his state of dress. Kou had forewent the band t-shirts in exchange for a tank top. The sides were lovingly tugged wide open by him, making the armholes big enough to reveal his chest and back tattoos all the way down his torso. He had on boots and leather pants since the requisition officers hadn't deigned to give him more than one pair.

"Yeah, actually. I'm on my way out." It was a trap, however, because no sooner had Kou confessed his intentions then Volt volunteered to accompany him. In Kou's peripheral he spotted Leann's body shifting. She prodded the hand holding onto the door, keeping out of Volt's line of sight, but Kou brushed her off.

"Don't you have to be at work soon?" Kou asked, latching on to whatever he could to dismiss the other man. The single instance Volt was willingly trying to hang out with him and Kou had to turn him down; he just couldn’t seem to catch a break. It was outright despicable how life would betray him like this.

"Lucky for you I got the whole night off," Volt said.

"Wait," he said, bracing his free arm against the doorframe as he leaned into it. "Since when? _ I _never got nights off when I worked at FATE."

"Since I'm a professional that submits requests. Like a _ decent _ employee," Volt said, deadpan.

"I'd wager it's more like Sion needed to square up with you." Kou maintained the conversation despite Leann insistently vying for his attention. Her poking had escalated into a tug on his wrist. His hand gripped the doorknob tighter and he discreetly kicked at her shin to stop her hounding him.

Volt shrugged. "He didn't say no to more money and I'm not complaining."

If Kou had to chance another guess, then the extra shift was probably Dominique related. No surprise that Volt wasn't touching that one. He opened his mouth to retort, but Leann's pestering had gotten to the point Kou needed to excuse himself. Holding up his pointer finger, Kou said, "Er, hold that thought. Be right back" and slammed the door shut. Whirling on her, he whispered, "_What? _What is it?"

"This is perfect! You should take him with you," Leann said.

"Am I…hearing you right?" Kou asked in the same way he'd question if she had _ lost her absolute mind_. He could name five rules off the top of his head that she was suggesting he break. Granted, the extent of Kou's interest in the code of conduct was how far he could bend it without outright disobeying, but his partner didn't share in his mentality. The fact Leann was the one making this suggestion was absurd considering not a couple seconds ago she was determined to start quoting the LUKIS manual. "He's not with us! This is liability central."

"But he's assisted in the past without repercussions. Technically twice now if you include our current assignment, when I made that anonymous call and directed him to your rescue," she argued in a single breath. "Besides, it'd be more suspicious if you refuse."

"No way—"

"_Yes way_. I can't cover you and you need backup. If you're so worried then just do what you _ always _ do and improvise!" Leann interjected. She snatched his wallet off the foyer table and shoved it into his front. While Kou fumbled to take hold of it she pushed him toward the door, opening it from behind and thrusting him into the hallway. It closed, locking him outside the room.

There was an awkward moment where Kou was squished between a rock and a hard place, more literally than figuratively. He made a concerted effort _ not _ to gaze the scant centimeters he was from Volt's chest while he raised his wallet in the air and waggled it. Strained, Kou said, "I, uh, wanted to grab my ID. Which I now have. So let's hit the bus stop and we can be on our merry way."

Squeezing past Volt, he lead them to the public stop that was a block from the motel. As they made their way to the clear glass shelter next to the pole and sign designating the bus pickup area Volt asked, "Where's our stop?"

"Red light district. There's some new joint with the promise of being interesting," Kou said.

"You mean KISS?" he asked with his lip curled. Volt's distaste was no surprise given a _ lot _of businesses in Edge were feeling the sting. KISS' location and repertoire kept bringing people in droves, despite its bad publicity and less-than-stellar reputation. Whoever was in charge knew what they were doing as far as the commercial side of matters were concerned.

"The one and only." Kou leaned his shoulder against the shelter wall, crossing one knee over the other. "If you're feeling shy about visiting there you don't have to tag along, you know."

"It's not that. Why are you going to a cheap strip club rather than any of the other exclusive hot spots in the city?" Volt asked.

"A lot of folks around here have some strong opinions about KISS, and all the people that were last seen there alive can't be a coincidence. If I get to the bottom of it maybe that will lead back to Cynthia's murder," Kou said, upfront for once. He'd already admitted to Volt about his friend and his (partial) intentions with scouring Edge, so there was no reason to skirt the issue. 

"And if it does?"

"Then I nicely ask the people responsible about the work they do."

"Yeah, because that went real well last time," he said, eyes dipping to look at the abrasion on Kou’s face. If he didn’t know better, there might have even been some actual concern mixed in with his statement.

"The difference being I didn't ask _ nicely_," Kou pointed out, although his tone didn't altogether reflect the flippancy of his words. His smile was sardonic as he said, "I can be _ very _ persuasive when I'm nice."

Volt snorted, but their conversation lulled as a bus fumed and chugged around the corner. A surly-looking woman with immaculately pleated box braids and a yellow smiley sticker on her vest that was in contrast to her demeanor opened the door for them. They boarded the transport; the driver didn't so much as acknowledge them as they swiped their electronic passes against the reader and went to find a spot in the rear.

Only a small amount of passengers were on board considering the nightlife was gearing up. A few of the unsavory sort leered at Kou, sizing him up until they got to tracing his tattoos with their eyes, and then completely reconsidered any attempts as soon as they spotted Volt at his back. They were left alone as their transport putted along toward the blazing lights of the red light district.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **3-Quinuclidinyl Benzilate (BZ or "Buzz")**: While not explicitly stated by name, this is what 'truth serum' was applied in the previous parts. The drug used on Kou has a sordid and honestly really fucking bizarre history. It can take all forms (solid, gas, or liquid), making application easy, but as far as my basic research can tell it's been proven an unreliable resource in every aspect that it's been applied for. 
> 
> If anyone is curious and can stomach the real life applications here are [two](http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3340693/t/bz-its-history-symptoms-effects/) [resources](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK224190/) that I used for the descriptions in the previous chapter (though I'm applying the note here since its purpose has been confirmed in this chapter). More can be found on [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-Quinuclidinyl_benzilate), of course.


	8. Part Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kou, now accompanied by Volt, continues his investigation. When matters begin to escalate between them they are confronted by some punks on the street, which turns out to be fortuitous in more than one way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of all the chapters so far, this was probably the most _fun_ for me to write. Despite the (minor) in-fighting, it's honestly rather comical. I was laughing at my own jokes before I started writing this, I was laughing during my writing of it, and I'm still laughing after the fact. Sometimes you just gotta have those moments to break up the story, ya know? It'll be back to business come the next part, I promise, but I couldn't resist inputting my own brand of humor.

Stepping off the bus, Kou met with a congested maze of bodies. The red light district was oversaturated with people milling in front of food stalls, drinking establishments, and moving posters promoting the local fair. Most, of course, loitered in front of the windows showcasing exotic dancers.

They waded into the crowds, sidestepping pedestrians who were too distracted with the sights or partying with friends to pay them any mind. Music blared out of the multitude of buildings, blending together into a cacophony of sound. Which was fortunate given the conversation Volt resumed wasn't for prying ears. Kou _ wished _ it was loud enough to feign drowning out the other man. Discussing private matters was tumult at best and disastrous at worst.

Kou had forgotten how tenacious Volt could be – even more than Sion. If only he'd put that stamina toward something else. But, of course, Volt would rather put Kou's deception training to the test instead. Leaning in over his shoulder to be heard, Volt asked, "Have you figured out what you're going to do if this doesn't pan out? How long are you going to be at this?"

"I was thinking anywhere between, oh, now and however long it takes?" he said offhandedly, keeping his eyes facing forward. Kou was downplaying it, of course. If his plan failed and Leann didn't produce some solid evidence then high-command was liable to send in reinforcements. Storming the city was an absolute _ last _ resort and Kou never wanted it to come to that.

Frowning, Volt asked, "Can't you be serious for once?"

"How do you know that I'm _ not?_" he asked. "Look: extenuating circumstances aside, I'll have you know I do have this situation under control."

Kou moved past a man in a rumpled suit and loose tie, only having to elbow him a little bit. Even if Volt's doubts were starting to irk him it was no reason to take it out on the unsuspecting, white-collar worker just trying to have a good time.

"_Do you?_"

Okay, so maybe just irked, Kou disclosed to himself.

They broke through the initial line of people, where the groups had thinned out in the less interesting parts of the region. An alleyway was to the side and Kou went down it to avoid the next jam-packed street. The noise level was lower here.  
  
A small cluster of three people were congregated near the opposite entrance. They were graffitiing the alley walls. Spray painted misshapen lips in vivid orange, hot pink, and violet covered the brick and anything else already applied to it. The group seemed more or less preoccupied with painting and hadn't noticed Kou and Volt's approach yet. 

Kou kept his voice hushed all the same. He had spent so much effort skirting questions that maybe it was time he posed some of his own. "I really don't see why this is your problem? Last I checked _ you _ invited yourself to tag along."

Kou's voice must not have been as quiet as he'd intended because one of the graffiti artists paused in his task. He hopped down from the trashcan posing as his platform to reach higher up the wall and called out, "Oi!"

Neither Kou nor Volt paid him any mind.

"The hell? Just because you left _ us _ doesn't mean _ we _ stopped caring. Show some remorse – you scared Dominique shitless, you know," Volt said.

The guy's associate, a lady in all plaid and baggy white knee socks, did a double-take and dropped her spray can to the ground. Hurriedly grasping him by the shoulder, she said, "Like, um, Frankie? Maybe we should, ya know, let these ones go?"

"Y-yeah, the big guy looks like the demon of Dog Street they're always warning us about!" the last individual tried to dissuade their friend. He wore a hakama and a tare over a sleeveless hoodie.

For once too inattentive to focus on his surroundings, Kou continued to argue, "Okay, first of all? She's an outlier. Dom worries and cries over every single stray cat she comes across, but she gets over it. And secondly, I said why do _ you _care? Not as if you were all that choked up to see me go before."

"Tch! As if. Now come on, we're supposed to be working," Frankie said, shrugging off the girl's hold. Perhaps out of spite, he cut off their path and squared his shoulders. "I said 'oi', fuckers!"

"What?" Kou and Volt snapped in unison, turning their aggressions on the graffiti artist.

To the guy's credit he stood his ground. Frankie's nostrils flared as he said, "Pay attention and show some respect when I'm talking to you! You're in KISS territory now and it belongs to the Lipsmackers!"

"And what about it?" Volt asked, staring him down.

Frankie came up short, perhaps not accustomed to backtalk, and glanced over at his cohorts for support. The one that looked like he'd gotten half undressed after a kendo match shrugged uselessly, while the girl popped her bubblegum. They might resemble brain dead degenerates, but Kou hadn't missed the part about their association with the very place he was set on investigating.

Wanting to use their status to his advantage, Kou said point blank, "How cute, these kids think they can hustle us."

"_Kids?_" the three of them shouted in mixed octaves, bristling instantly.

"Then they need to move along. The adults are busy," Volt said. It was unclear if he'd caught on or was really that uninterested in putting the rascals in time out. It worked in Kou's favor either way because the phrase acted like napalm on a forest fire in the middle of July.

"Like, ugh! We'll show you," the girl yelled. She charged forward to throw the first punch. Not to be outdone, her kendo-friend joined in, rushing full speed with a, "Yeah, how about we just shut _ you _ up!"

Volt double clotheslined them by simply stretching his arms out at the last minute. They slipped and fell flat on their backs. The girl groaned and rolled around while her friend curled up into a ball, clutching his chest. To be fair, their reactions were justified. Less damage would have been caused if they'd been wailed on by a baseball bat. Or run over by a subway car.

While that humiliating debacle was going on, Frankie ran at Kou, foolishly announcing his attack with a battle cry. Kou stepped out of the way and stuck out his leg, tripping him. He caught Frankie by the back of his shirt collar, the fabric stretching, but the guy stopped a centimeter away from bashing his nose into the asphalt. In one fluid motion, Kou yanked him up and put Frankie in a headlock.

Before he could begin questioning him, though, Volt addressed Kou with, "I can't believe you're the shameless one and you have the nerve to ask me why I wasn't that invested."

"Wait, are you doing this for real? Right now?" Kou asked. The delay in catching on that Volt had picked up the line of their conversation a third time could be attributed to the fact he was struggling not to have his eyes gouged out as Frankie clawed at him like a feral beast.

"I'm just saying, why would I have bothered to ask you to stay?" the other man persisted. Volt wasn't even winded from his bout, allowing him to hold a separate exchange in the middle of all the fighting. He was built like ten of these nobodies and made this confrontation seem like a joke.  
  
Once Kou leaned his head away and applied more pressure, forcing his opponent to arch in an awkward angle and protect Kou's face, his own fight was basically on pause so he could do the same.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe some _ reciprocation _ on your part would have been nice? I can’t read your mind, Volt!" Kou's hold tightened with each iteration. Frankie's panting turned into a gurgled choking noise. He swatted on his forearm in surrender, but Kou didn't notice. "And while we’re on the subject, maybe some consistency would be nice. _ Do _ you care, or _ don’t _you? Which is it? Because I’m getting mixed signals here!"

"Would that have actually changed anything? Don't pretend like you would have stayed if I—"

"_Yes!_" Kou snapped his admission, the volume and intensity catching everyone off guard, including himself. Frankie's face was turning a bright shade of red and his eyes were bugging out of his head, but his gaze bounced between the two of them as he remained bent backwards. "Maybe…I don't know!"

"Whoa. Did you guys break up or something?" Frankie wheezed.

"No," Volt said adamantly, to Kou's just as vehement, "Hard to do when I was never given a chance!"

"Daaamn. Haven't you ever seen any of that romantic BS? Bitches love it when you go after 'em," Frankie said.

"Not cool. You should'a tried that. Works every time," Kendo Kid reprimanded from under Volt's boot, which had been planted on his chest to keep him from squirming away. He'd stopped trying to pry Volt's foot off his midsection to crane his neck back to see his compatriot. "Are you believing this shit, Kairi?"

"You're all idiots. Duh!" the girl, Kairi, said rather than joining the exchange. Her arms were wound around the chords of Volt's neck, her body dangling from there with no results. "Stop giving these two losers love advice and, like, destroy them already!"

"No, no. I say let your drug dealing friends keep talking. They're making a lot more sense than _ some _people around here," Kou said.

Frankie seized in his arms, making a time-out gesture with his hands by tapping his fingers into the middle of his palm. "Hey, hey, hey! We ain't no drug dealers. We're totes clean, man."

"Why else would you misfits being skulking around this alley for KISS?" Kou asked.

"This is our turf, yo! We were just mapping it out and everything. If you don't believe us then Frankie can take you to the boss-lady. She'll straighten this out," Kendo Kid said.

"Like, _ shut up_, Kendo!" Kairi reprimanded at max volume right into Volt's ear. It took Kou a second to realize that she was referring to the guy by his actual _ name_, and not his mode of dress. In any other situation it might have been funny. "We're not supposed to let anyone know that we know! Are you trying to get us in trouble?"

"Okay. That's enough," Volt declared drily before he nabbed Kairi from over his shoulder. He dumped her onto Kendo, winding them both into submission. Kairi was unconscious upon impact and Kendo passed out soon after with a groan.

Begrudgingly, Kou had to agree that this meeting was overrated. He released his hold at the same time he pushed Frankie toward the nearest wall. Kou raised his leg and pressed the ridged bottom of his boot against Frankie's neck, effortlessly keeping him in place.

He was unable to resist saying, "So, Frankie, was it? We might have gotten off on the wrong _ foot _here—" and applied a threatening amount of force. "—but what's this about you knowing the person in charge of KISS? Because it just so happens that we’re on our way there and we'd super appreciate it if you got us an introduction."

Frankie managed to swallow thickly under Kou's boot. His eyes flickered over to his friends, lying in a comatose pile, and then back to Kou. He offered a shaky thumbs up in concession.


	9. Interlude #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this final flashback, Kou's sendoff "celebration" has simmered down and he makes his last farewells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, this is the last little "intermission" chapter ya'll will be getting! From here on out it's full-speed ahead in the current timeline. >)

_ It's ten after five when last order was called. Even the most mulish of FATE's inebriated patrons had been shoved out the door, allowing Sion to flop onto the upstairs couch without a care. He's passed out, cheek pressed against his knuckles and with his mouth hanging open. His snoring is audible throughout the entire establishment. _

_ Situated next to him is Dominique. Her body is squished into his side. She'll have weird fabric dents on her face when she wakes up, but for now she's serenely sleeping. Kou straightens Dominique's jacket, tugging the yellow collar closer to her face to keep away the chill, and leaves the two to cuddle in peace. _

_If anyone has earned their beauty rest it's her. Dominique had put her all into throwing together a celebration for Kou's going away. After he'd honored his last shift Kou had received a misshapen, pink-frosted cake in honor of his service.   
  
__And as jewelry is her tradition, Dominique also gave him a power bead bracelet. It's made of alternating black onyx and orange calcite to resemble, in her words, the stripes on a tiger. To show his gratitude Kou had put it on instantly and swore to ‘never take it off, ever, _yes_,_ _not even in the shower’.   
  
__Of course, at her urging everyone had to get him something, too. Sion elected to purchase Kou's final round of drinks for the night. The good food and open tab had gone well together, and if their exhaustion was any indication then the party was a huge success.   
  
__Kou is cleaning up after the event and the regular going-ons of the place. He nabs the last of the discarded bottles and brings them downstairs to the bar, where a couple of bins have been stationed underneath the countertop for recycling later.   
  
__Boss is at his station, as ever. He's busy counting the cash drawer, having re-packaged the garnishes and wiped everything down. While still counting the money, he asks, "We all set?"_

_ Kou takes a seat across from him and says, "Yep. The little ones are put to bed and the place is spotless. You're welcome." _

_ The owner chuckles and puts some cash aside, then sets the rest inside a pouch to be stored in the vault of his office. He will deposit it at the bank during day-walker hours. Boss holds out the separated amount towards Kou. "Well, in thanks, here's your last cut." _

_ "Ah, that's…" Kou dithers, considering how best to politely turn down the offer. _

_ At this point it doesn't feel ethical to take the money – not that Kou ever really _ did_. LUKIS pays their agents handsomely, as in, a _ ludicrous _ amount. He'd accepted compensation from FATE to keep up appearances, but he'd donated his wages to the local library since he had more than enough to get by. Conceivably, he could do it again, but Kou would rather see that his friends didn't have to worry about a tight week. He settles on an excuse to refuse. _

_ "Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but consider my shift here tonight as on the house." _

_ "Now Kou, I wouldn't want anyone to think I stiff my employees," Boss says, giving him a look reminiscent of a father scolding their son. "Besides, I know what you must be wondering, but there's no need to concern yourself! The insurance paid for the restoration and you earned this, fair and square." _

_ "You sure? This could be repayment for taking a chance on me," Kou makes a last ditch effort to persuade him. _

_ "I must admit, I had my reservations about you at first, but you really proved yourself to be a blessing in disguise. Consider this my parting gift to you." At the insistence, Kou accepts and pockets the money. It's best not to insult the man. A stop at the public library contribution box it is. _

_ "Your timing couldn't have been better, you know. I'm glad I listened to Dominique and Volt about hiring you," the owner flippantly adds. _

_ Kou keys in on that last part, inquiring, "Huh?" _

_ "Oh, didn't you know? Little Monique begged and puppy-dog eyed on your behalf, and Volt persuaded me to bring you on due to all the cultivating unrest in the area. Hard to argue when it's two against one." At Kou's continued perplexity, he laughs and says, "What, you think anyone gets in here without his say so? Volt is my head bouncer for a reason." _

_ "I guess not," he says distractedly.   
  
_ _ That is an interesting development, one Kou wishes he'd been privy to sooner. Were he to stay on, such a tidbit would have been worth delving into, but his remaining time is dwindling by the minute. _

_ "I know it won't change anything, but I am sorry to see you go. It's a real shame to lose an investment like you; turned out to be the best decision I ever made," Boss bemoans. The irony that the old man had put up such a front in the beginning, to wanting Kou to stay on now doesn't escape him. _

_ "Nature of the beast, I'm afraid. If it makes you feel any better I grew attached to you and your place, too." Kou straightens his chair and tucks it under the countertop. "But at least I can rest easy knowing I'm leaving you in good hands." _

_ The other man catches on that it is his cue. _ _ He bids Kou goodbye and good luck. Kou grants him a two-fingered salute off his temple and goes to exit out the back. During this, the sharp _ click-click-click _ of a lighter clues Kou in to the whereabouts of the only other resident of FATE. _

_ Glimpsing up, Kou spots the soles of two booted feet and rolled-up hems dangling over the edge of the roof. Against his better judgment, Kou makes a detour toward the fire escape. The bottom rung is secured in place, so he takes a slight running leap off the stoop to grab hold of it. The steps creak and groan, but lower enough for Kou to swing around and climb to the top of the building. _

_ He peeks over the stone to see Volt with his hands cupped around his cigarette to protect it from the crosswinds. As the flame catches, the glow turns his russet eyes a brighter, sharper red. Volt pockets his lighter, adjusting his stance so one leg is raised and the other still hangs over the side. _

_ "Heh, I wondered where you ran off to," Kou says. _

_ "Mm. You heading out?" Volt asks. _

_ "Soon." He makes it onto the roof and plops down beside him. Their shoulders nudge each other as Kou sits cross-legged on the cement siding. _

_ This isn't their first instance on the roof. Kou and the other two bouncers of FATE, plus Dominique on occasion, would hide up here prior to or post opening the bar to shoot the shit. Especially after a trying experience when all they wanted to do was eat takeout and decompress. _

_ The view helps in that regard. The city in its entirety isn't visible from this vantage point, but parts of the red light district shimmer in the distance and the sunrise coming up behind the remains of the Mikado crystal dome is discernible. One-by-one the furthest street lamps blink out, like a clock ticking down. _

_ Such sights and memories strike Kou hard – harder than he anticipates. He's going to miss FATE and the happier times he found here. _

_ "So why give it up?" Volt asks. _

_ Kou, not realizing he's expressed such sentiments aloud, doesn't respond right off. He makes a show of mulling over his next words to cover his embarrassment. Eventually he gives Volt a sidelong glance and he asks, "You think it's worth my hanging around?" _

_ "You didn't sound very sure about leaving," Volt says, taking an evasive drag from his cigarette so as not to elaborate. That's not really an answer, but two can play at that. _

_ "Maybe, but…I've worked pretty hard to get where I'm going. Everything leading up to it has to mean _ something."

_ Not that Kou _ can’t _ be persuaded, but the statement rings true. His striving to live up to the family name, honoring their legacy and pleasing his mother, used to consume every aspect of Kou’s life. Ultimately, the pressures and oppressiveness drove him from the only place he’d ever known.   
  
_ _ The years of Tae Kwon Do training were supposed to be an escape. Something he could be proud to call his own, except he was barred in the end when his past came back to haunt him.   
  
_ _ Clawing through the ranks in LUKIS was his last chance to distance himself from a reputation he wasn’t sure he ever deserved – or even still wanted. He had done important work through the agency and was promised the chance to do more. Foregoing future opportunities with LUKIS is not something Kou would do lightly as it’d shaped him into the man he is today. _

_ "Then there's your answer." _

_ "That's it?" he asks, taken aback. Kou isn't sure what he was anticipating, but a little more of a fight would have been nice. _

_ "It's your call," Volt says, shrugging, as if it were that easy. No counter argument, no debate, no devil's advocate…not much of a game at all. Kou won't lie and say he's not disappointed at no exchange of wits. _

_ Then again, perhaps he shouldn't be so shocked at Volt's simple dismissal. Since Kou's announcement it’s seemed like they barely crossed paths. Kou had been busy making plans during and outside of his employment at FATE, but not enough to account for their lack of interaction in such a small business. Volt's absence might have meant nothing, but… _

_ He reminds himself that getting Volt to warm up to him had taken a great deal. For all the glowering and sticking close to Kou like an overbearing hawk those first couple of months, prying more than a sentence out of him had taken every ounce of Kou's social arsenal. And it is still safe to say that Kou doesn't have a one-hundred percent read on him. _

_Kou had hoped that they were on a more even footing after the proceedings with Dauragon._ _The air between them had been less strained and slightly more casual since then.__ With Kou's task of fronting FATE and a break in the works, he had looked forward to exploring where everything might lead._

_ Wishful thinking on his part. _

_ Despite what people say, he _ can _ take a hint. Not to mention the reminder that the decision is mostly out of his hands because of his standing orders kills the mood, anyway. Kou straightens up, giving Volt a pat on the arm. "Then I bestow upon thee your rightful throne, so take care of FATE, will ya? _ Someone _ has to." _

_Volt rolls his eyes, muttering what sounds suspiciously like “as if I already wasn't?” and takes a long drag of his cigarette._  
  
_"Keep up the good work, then," Kou says._

_ Once he’s back on the ground and heading towards the mouth of the alleyway, Volt calls out for his attention. Kou whips back around, hopeful for something he can't explain. Volt's free hand, tucked inside the pocket of his black leather jacket, emerges with a small box. He gives it a flippant toss, the item threatening to sail over Kou's head if he hadn't clapped both hands together to catch it. _

_ Kou lowers his arms and transfers it to one hand to rotate the box. The thing couldn't be bigger than fifty millimeters on each side. It's covered neat and tidy with solid black wrapping paper. A golden bow is secured on top – albeit a little crushed from being inside Volt's coat. _

_ When his assessment is done, Kou cranes his neck back to look up at Volt. He's haloed in the flood light at his back, still poised along the roof's edge. Smoke drifts off the cigarette between his lips before he brings it back down to reside at his hip. Kou soaks the image up, committing it to memory. _

_ Then he waves the box up at him in acknowledgement and, with a heavy heart, does the difficult task of facing forward and never looking back. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No specific highlight this round, but I do want to take this space to advocate for supporting libraries since it's so near and dear to my heart (thus its mention in this chapter). They are more than just sources for information - libraries are safe spaces for everyone that can provide all kinds of unique services. If you're able please consider giving to your local library, or sister projects like book drives or literacy campaigns! If you need assistance in what to search for or want to know of different ways you can help, please check out this [webpage](https://libguides.ala.org/book-donations/home). Most methods can be applied almost anywhere!


	10. Part Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kou and Volt arrive at KISS, where more than one revelation is made, although not all of them about Kou's assignment. And afterwards they make even more headway...still not all about the case. It's that kind of night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While chapter 8 (Part 6) was the most _fun_ for me to write, this one has to be my _favorite_ overall. Why that is will hopefully become apparent real quick, lol. It's also 11 whopping pages long in GDocs, so that should also say something.

Frankie escorted them to the side entrance of the gaudiest strip club Kou had ever witnessed. Each part of the exterior was coated in a different color and splattered with an array of other paints, and glowing neon under black lights. A sign next to the door read 'Employee Entrance' in bold leopard print.   
  
Approaching the door, Frankie pressed the biggest button on the intercom. A distant bell sounded. Static fizzled across the line before a female voice demanded, "_State your business._"  
  
"Is Stella in?" he spoke into the device.   
  
"_Who's asking?_"  
  
"This is Frankie."  
  
"_…Who?_"  
  
"I'm—" He stopped short, eyeballing Kou and Volt. Huddling closer to the speaker, Frankie cupped a hand over his mouth, but it wasn't enough to mask what he said. "Come on, this is Francis! Stella's cousin? She can vouch for me so open the door."  
  
"_Whatever._"  
  
A buzzer indicated when the locking mechanism released and allowed them inside. The interior was only marginally less of an eyesore. The walls, ceiling, and ductwork were all a solid black. The color bled into a zebra pattern on the floor, except where the white should have been it was a gradient made of rainbows.   
  
Rich velvet curtains separated everything from the hallway. One was partially draped to reveal a changing room for the staff. Exotic dancers and drag queens with mismatched, but equally outlandish, makeup were prepping in front of mirrors or putting on extravagant costumes. Each seemed to be animal themed in nature, from feather boas to spotted spandex. Not that anything shady _couldn’t _be disguised, but this part of the club seemed pretty above board.  
  
The press of Volt's knuckles between Kou's shoulder blades propelled him forward and kept him from lingering too long. They made their way through the rest of the winding halls and to a single entry with no distinctive name or title on it. Considering it was the sole doorway blocked off so far, Kou felt it safe to assume this was the boss' lair. Frankie knocked on the frosted glass, cleared his throat and announced their arrival.   
  
At the barked command to enter, Frankie swung open the door. Beyond was a lavishly decorated office. Where the premise of the strip club was a jungle covered in fluorescence, here it was nothing short of pure luxury.   
  
The motif on the floor carried into the room, fading into the traditional black and white. A set of plush chairs were situated on a furry rug. Each wall was lined with gilded mirrors of varying sizes, mounted animal horns, or pictures depicting wild creatures hunting prey in their natural habitat. The artwork with a crocodile ripping out the throat of a gazelle was particularly telling.   
  
Sitting in the center of all this flamboyance, at a desk three times her size, was Echidna, ex-supervisor of Mikado Group's fame.   
  
At the sight of her, Volt went rigid like he'd been shocked with a livewire. He sucked in a deep breath through his teeth.   
  
Echidna seemed unaware of his or Kou's presence, too occupied with delicately painting her nails an ultramarine color. Without deviating from her task, she said, "Frankie, why are you showing your face back here so soon? If you haven't finished with the assignment I gave you then I won't hesitate to break both your kneecaps."  
  
Frankie pulled on his collar, causing his laugh to stutter. "N-nah, I promised I'd… That is… There's some guys here—"  
  
"Hello, _Echidna_," Volt seethed, setting a hand on Frankie's shoulder and moving him out of the way. Warily, Kou watched as the muscles under his jacket flexed and bunched together. It was a wonder of modern fashion that Volt didn't bust out of the leather with how tight he was winding himself up. Kou subtly balanced his stance in preparation to run interference.   
  
The response to Volt's salutation was immediate: Echidna snapped her head up, eyes gone comically wide. She shot up from her chair and slammed both palms flat on the desk, which disturbed the nail polish bottle and spilled its contents. Pointing a finger drenched in the outlandish blue color at Volt, she screamed, "The hell are _you_ doing here?" She whirled on Frankie and loomed in his direction. "Did you let him in? I have one unbreakable rule here – _count 'em, just one_ – and what is it?"  
  
"Um," Frankie said. Despite the distance between him and Echidna, Frankie cowered and would have curled into Volt if his grip weren't so strong.  
  
Wordlessly, Echidna transferred her pointer finger to the wall next to her and sent drops of ultramarine splattering at the motion. A grainy photograph of Volt was tacked to it. Kou couldn't say how she'd gotten a copy, but it appeared to be a semi-recent rendition since Volt was adorned in his cranial dermals.   
  
Bolded typeface read ‘VOLT KRUEGER - NO ADMITTANCE’ at the bottom. Except someone had taken red lipstick and scrawled a “D” in place of the first letter of his name so it spelled dolt, which, _real mature_. A slash ran across it and was imprinted on the wallpaper underneath, intersecting Volt's cheek. It appeared someone had taken a blade to the notice in anger.   
  
Seeming unsure the entire time, Frankie glanced between the poster, to Echidna, back to the poster, over at Volt, and finally to the poster again when the proverbial light bulb went off. "Oh! That rule." His pride at figuring out the significance all by himself was short-lived as his precarious situation dawned on him. "Oh. _That _rule."  
  
"Yes, 'that rule'," Echidna snarled. She flicked a switch on her desk, its importance not immediately apparent to Kou or Volt, but the way Frankie paled and started to sweat through his shirt wasn't a good sign. "I'll have your cousin remind you of it in explicit detail, then _I'll_ deal with you later. For now, get out of my sight before I dropkick you out myself."  
  
He made to scurry away, but not fast enough before the door burst open with a bang. A woman with the same abundance of freckles and curly hair matching Frankie's stormed into the room, although hers was tinted a fire engine red and thus probably fake. All the same Kou assumed she was the notorious Stella they'd heard so much about.  
  
She took in the scene, her eyes first narrowing upon seeing Volt and then at Frankie. He folded like a stack of cards, stuttering, "Wait, Stella, there's no reason to get _violent—_" but as soon as she squinted harder at him his lips clamped shut.   
  
Her gaze settled on Echidna; some kind of silent exchange went on between them. Stella nodded once and lumbered towards Frankie. Her purple catsuit roiled with pure muscle as she viciously grabbed him by the ear. Stella hissed under her breath at him, dragging Frankie outside the room. His excuses and whines were cut off by the door slamming shut, rattling in its frame.   
  
"God_damnit_, Frankie," Echidna muttered as she wrenched open the top drawer of her desk. Kou's shoulders didn't unclench even after she withdrew what turned out to be a clear jar of sugar to mop up the nail polish, making it clump up to be swept into the trash can. "You'll have to excuse anything he's done. Frankie's a certified dumbass, but I owed my leading enforcer a favor so I took on her cousin. It's turning out to be the second worst decision of my life."  
  
Volt crossed his arms, clearly unimpressed. "Echidna, what is all this? When I told you to get a life for yourself and scram, running your own racket wasn't what I meant."  
  
"Tch! _Excuse you_."   
  
She leaned back in her seat and put up her feet. Her toes were pedicured in a matching shade of blue, albeit pristine, and attached to a set of legs a mile long and as tan as the rest of her. Still the queen of spray-on looks apparently, considering there was no conceivable way someone in a night profession could otherwise achieve such an appearance. Echidna retrieved some kind of wipe from the same drawer as the sugar and scrubbed the ruined skin around her nails, ridding it of the excess nail polish.   
  
"Although, it's interesting that you should mention that. While every other word out of your mouth makes me want to _rip your piercings out one-by-one with my bare hands_—" Her voice dropped low and menacing at the declaration, fingers curled into claws, before she resumed a placid tone. "—you got me thinking afterwards. For once you made sense.   
  
"Why should I be some schmuck's last choice when I can be in charge? So I made a place for myself here, along with anyone else needing sanctuary. Beats freezing my ass off in the cold and making minimum wage like some washed up meathead—"  
  
"Better than a dried up hag—" Volt refuted.   
  
"Or a jackass, you jackass!" Echidna said sharply. She crumpled the alcohol wipe to plant both hands on the armrests of her chair, rising in her seat.   
  
"_Harpy!_"  
  
Identifying that the situation was devolving rapidly, Kou stepped between them and pressed a hand against Volt's chest. If the other man really wanted to go at it there was no way Kou could stop him, but the motion earned him a delay in the bickering.   
  
"Yeah, sure, some place you've got here. People are reporting that your clientele is getting scarcer and scarcer," Kou said, garnering her attention in the form of a sneer. Echidna acted like she'd forgotten his presence, which she probably had.   
  
Jabbing a thumb in Kou's direction, Echidna trained her gaze back to Volt as she asked, "Who's scrawny?"  
  
Kou couldn’t _not _look offended. "Geez, we've already met!" There was no recognition on her face, so he expanded with, "On the cargo train for Mikado?" Still nothing. "And then later, on the way to the Galeos?"  
  
Blinking once, she dismissed him by posing her question to Volt. "Anyway. What's this about my club? I run a tight operation and I don't appreciate the accusation."  
  
"You must be losing your touch if you haven't heard how people are claiming that anyone stupid enough to visit here might be leaving in a body bag,” Volt began with the same air as someone about to poke an apex predator with a very pointy stick, "and knowing you're involved, it sounds like you might be getting back into bad habits. What, got tired of naysayers and decided to 'dispose' of them, too?"  
  
"…I'll let the part about my tendencies slide considering the source, but _get bent_ if you think I'm going to tolerate that kind of slander about my club. The only people who have died here were some of _my _girls and that's because of Mind Sweeper, and I'll be damned if they weren't targeted on purpose. I have a strict policy to avoid crap like that and nobody would disobey me knowingly."   
  
When Volt didn't recant his statement, she said, "Well, isn't it obvious? Someone is spreading lies about me and KISS to misdirect."  
  
Echidna lounged in her seat, clearly insulted by Volt's allegations, but more than that she sounded contemplative. Kou considered himself midlevel at reading people, but hotheads like her made it easy. She tended to wear her emotions as plainly as her garish makeup.   
  
Volt sensed the inconsistency in her reaction, too, although he was willing to call her on it. "You have an idea who that someone is, don't you?"  
  
Stricken, Echidna was too late to level out her expression and hide that Volt's assumption was correct. She huffed, relenting. "What's it to you? The problem is mine to handle and I'm more than willing to deal with the party responsible. Nobody messes with my own and gets away with it."  
  
"Then you'll have to get in line. _I_ called dibs," Kou said. Normally he'd resort to upping the charisma, but he knew from experience that would just net his balls getting ripped off. He didn't mind taking one from Volt's playbook and being a verbal battering ram this round. "I have an avid interest in finding the people distributing Mind Sweeper and putting a stop to it. And if you're as smart as you look then you'll pass that information along."  
  
"As I recall, you said you owed me," Volt chimed in.   
  
Her intrigue swiftly morphed into a scowl at the reminder. "Nice try, but I already paid you in full by sharing Dauragon's plans. I don't have to do anything for you."  
  
"Somehow, I don't think sparing you covers the assassination of Mikado _and _framing Volt for the murder after you tried to off him," Kou said.   
  
"Mikado was business! Even Volt would know something about _that_. You went after him first, or did you conveniently forget?" Echidna refuted. Kou frowned, lost on what she meant, but refrained from commenting.   
  
When Volt didn't feed into Echidna's goading her nails made an agitated staccato on the pearlescent surface of the desk. Her next words were said with clenched teeth. "But…the thing with Volt…_might_ have been personal. So how about this – if I agree to share what I know, let's say my offering at the Mikado Group was for then, and my helping you now is for before. We'll officially be even. Take it or choke on it."  
  
Odds were this was the best proposition that Kou was liable to get, but he ultimately respected that the final decision was up to Volt. Kou looked to him in anticipation of his answer. Volt cut a glance to him, then nodded once at Echidna.   
  
The motion was all the permission she needed. With the fury of a thousand women scorned, she exclaimed, "It's probably those chumps over at Rockabilly! I've had some backlash since I opened, which is to be expected when you're aiming for the top, but none as bad as them. My feelers on the street tell me it's just a front, anyway. I wouldn't put it past them to throw suspicion off themselves by having everyone blame KISS, with the added bonus of sending me under."  
  
Kou couldn't prevent his disappointment from showing at the old news. Having explored that avenue and failed, all this proved was that at least Echidna wasn't deceiving them. She noticed their lack of positive feedback and said, "Let me guess – you got that far?"  
  
"Too little, too late. The venue is shut down," Volt said. "If that's the best you've got then we're out of here and I'll keep my favor for later."  
  
To stave off another hissy fit, Kou asked, "Wait, I've got a name. Have you heard anything about some whackjob calling themselves the Chameleon?"  
  
"Hn." She frowned down at her still-ruined nails before continuing. "It's not just here, but a logo resembling a lizard has been cropping up in certain parts of my territory. I guess it might resemble a chameleon," Echidna confessed reluctantly, still glowering at Volt. "To be honest, I hadn't put much stock in its significance. I assumed it was a bogus scare someone had concocted, like a boogeyman to keep the locals spooked or get other gangs to back off. I assigned Frankie to cover up the markings to get him out of my hair."   
  
She grabbed a card off a holder on her desk and held it out. "Well, I'll put some interest in it now. I'll order my ladies to shake down the usual corners and see what we can dig up. If I find anything pertinent you'll be the first to know."  
  
Echidna held the card out more insistently. Not trusting either one of them to not leap over the piece of furniture and pummel each other, Kou served as the middleman and snatched it up. The stock was plain black, with a glossy white kiss mark on the front and a matching phone number on the opposite side. There was nothing else to indicate that it was her contact information.   
  
"I don't mind checking in, but how do you want to get a hold of us?" Kou asked. His portable phone could be disposed of in an emergency, but he was loath to provide her with his cell phone number if it could be prevented.   
  
"Oh, if it comes to that we'll find _you_, don't worry. Are either of you still hanging around that dump on Dog Street?"  
  
Volt bristled, but Kou managed to grit out, "Yeah, FATE."  
  
"Easy, then. Now if we're good, kindly fuck off before—"  
  
"You dropkick us out yourself. We got it," Volt said, rolling his eyes. Echidna motioned with both her hands, fingers splayed in a silent request for 'why are you still here, then?'  
  
They showed themselves out, having no choice but to retrace their steps to find the exit. Stella and Frankie were waiting. He was slumped in a folding metal chair by the door, looking thoroughly cowed, while his cousin loomed in the opening between the hallway and the changing room. Stella picked at her cuticles with a butterfly knife. Kou felt her eyes following their every move from under her lashes until they made it outside.   
  
The breath of fresh air was stifling, a strange contrast that indicated more distance was needed from the strip club. Kou picked a different path than the one they'd taken to get here. During their initial trek he'd spotted a bus stop much closer than the one at the border of the district. He'd have to hop on another line or two to reach the motel, but the added time would allow him to broach a topic he'd been meaning to address.  
  
Unable to hold it in any longer, Kou asked, "Alright, I let it slide once, but I _gotta know_ – what the hell happened with you two?" Volt raised a hand to rub one of his horns, but aborted the motion when he caught on that he was doing it. Kou was prompted to clarify with, "I mean, before the bullet to the head."  
  
Volt rubbed his hand along his face instead, looking tired and agitated in equal measure. Kou wasn’t sure if Volt was going to give him a straight answer until he said, "Echidna wasn't wrong, but she's not entirely correct, either. I _did _go after the elder Mikado, but rather than be scared for his life he was impressed that some punk off the street would attack him. So much in fact he offered me three times what my original contract was. After some intense negotiations I was brought on to his private security. Echidna was a senior member and didn't take it well when a green recruit surpassed her."  
  
Up ahead was an enclosure under a single street lamp. Nobody else was waiting for public transport, meaning a bus must have just left. Expecting a longer wait this round, Kou settled on the plastic bench. "Pardon my prying, but that's not all, is it? She's a woman slighted if I've ever seen one."  
  
"By shown up, I mean…she may have challenged me for the lead position and I turned her down," Volt confessed.   
  
"In public?" Kou asked, whistling for emphasis. "Yikes, my man."  
  
Volt looked defensive. "She's the one that started it in front of our peers, _on the_ _job_."  
  
"Hey, I'm on your side! But I have to admit that I never thought I'd find someone worse with women than I am."  
  
"I didn't make a habit of fist-fighting with my female co-workers. How is that bad?" he asked in disbelief.   
  
Kou made a buzzer noise, like missing the correct answer on a game show. "There was your first mistake. Demoralizing a woman in front of her posse is the fastest way into her little black book. As in, her blacklist. You feel me?" Kou said from experience. "Just throwing this out there, but did you ever convey all this to her? Not that it would have resolved everything considering she's a nutcase, but for future reference it might save you a massive headache."  
  
"I _did_. By refusing to cave to her demands and fight her. I couldn't have been more obvious," Volt said, standing firm.   
  
"Somehow I think we need to work on you using your words, buddy." At Kou's statement Volt shifted, looking suddenly uncomfortable. The bus finally arrived, interrupting Kou's thoughts before he could figure out why. They made it inside, the unit packed, but not enough that they were forced to remain upright.   
  
Kou picked the last set of front-facing seats and purposefully sat with his back pressed to the window. He scrunched up in his spot, drawing a leg up to his chest on Volt's side so he would have enough room to fit and not stick out in the main aisle. Since the seating wasn’t made with two burly men in mind, Kou still felt the heat roiling off of Volt whenever he brushed his knee because of every bump or jostle.   
  
Nothing was exchanged between them for the initial part of the trip. Kou was processing the events of the night and planning accordingly. He'd taken out his phone and texted Leann, **en route to the motel. standby for minor updates. retrieval successful?** Although he didn't expect a response, she could still be several floors down in a morgue somewhere decrypting files.  
  
With all the people chatting or playing music from a boombox in the back, Kou had to strain to hear Volt as he spoke up. He gripped the metal bar sticking up from the seat in front of him, outwardly seeming to be using it for balance, but when Kou glanced up from his phone screen he saw the way his grip was white knuckled. "I don't mean to be so awkward with communicating with you. I'm just used to my body doing all the talking. I’ve been doing it for so long that sometimes I forget there's another way."  
  
It wasn't blatant, but Kou could spot the beginnings of an apology when there was one. The sincerity of it was what caught him most by surprise. In the many months he'd known him, Volt hadn't struck Kou as someone that admitted his shortcomings easily. The act was humbling to witness. It was only fair to meet Volt in the middle, Kou reasoned.   
  
Nudging Volt in the side with his leg, Kou said, "Hey… I know I was harsh with you earlier, but if it makes you feel any better I'm not very good with people, either. I shouldn't lecture you as if I'm a pro."  
  
Not like there were many opportunities to be social when Kou was a six-year-old getting private lessons or tutored from academic professors quadruple his age instead of playing with other kids. Nor when he was dedicating his every waking moment to learning Tae Kwon Do. Kou had to worship the 'fake it until you make it' mentality to fit in by the time he arrived in LUKIS.   
  
Sometimes, in his quieter moments, it was hard for Kou to identify where his real personality began and where the agent persona ended. But now wasn't the time for him to go through an existential crisis. He locked that issue down in a vault to be buried deep in his subconscious and to be contemplated _never_.   
  
"No, you were right to call me out. I shouldn't have expected you to be forthcoming with me if I wasn't willing to do the same," Volt said.   
  
"Regardless, if it means anything," Kou started, crossing his hands at the wrist and resting them on top of his knee, with his chin on top, "just know when I was flirting with you? I meant it. Sorry for not being more earnest about it before."  
  
Volt stared back, eyes searching his.   
  
The sign at the front of the bus dinged, indicating the next destination. Kou read the street name and said, "Isn't this your stop coming up?"  
  
Frustration writ itself across Volt's face, answer enough. He didn't confirm it, though, instead asking, "What now?"  
  
"To be honest? I'm calling it a night; we can regroup and reevaluate later." At Volt's expectant silence, he said, "No sneaking off, I promise. Here – you got a cell on you? I can put in my number."  
  
"Sion has been on my case to get one."  
  
"That's a no, then." Kou turned, tapping the shoulder of the woman sitting in front of him. When she didn't remove her headphones and signed in question, he motioned to borrow one of the many pens and pencils holding her hair up in a bun. Bobbing her fist in understanding, she reached up and removed one of the writing utensils and offered it to him.   
  
With the pen he jotted the number of his cell phone on the back of Volt's hand. Kou returned it to the woman right after, as promised, giving her the sign for thanks. To Volt, he said, "Whenever you cave, add me on it with this. Until then, you can call me up from wherever. Just refrain from too many last minute booty calls."  
  
"I feel like I should be the one warning about that," Volt said, chagrined.   
  
The bus ground to a stop, the door's seal releasing with a hiss as the driver allowed for passengers to get off. Kou watched Volt exit the bus and stared at his retreating back through the foggy window, but before his form could shrink in the distance Kou's phone vibrated. He flipped it open to view the message he received. Leann's simple text of, **negative**, had him sighing. Kou's head thumped once against the glass of the window.   
  
What a shitty ending to his terribly long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Echidna**: Anyone familiar with Volt's ending from the game should recognize some of the story line that I filched, but in my version instead of them...idk working together at FATE or whatever the devs tried to halfass, that didn't pan out. I really, truly, unironically _love_ her character, though. IMHO she had so much potential, but all of it was horribly squandered so this was the best way I could conceive of to include her without just straight up rewriting and fixing everything as far back as the beginning of _The Bouncer_. 
> 
> **Lisa Frank**: If the descriptions of the club had you thinking of the popular, colorful franchise then good, that was intentional, hah hah. Even if the company has a [less than a stellar reputation that should totally and absolutely be acknowledged](https://jezebel.com/inside-the-rainbow-gulag-the-technicolor-rise-and-fall-1179495705), I can't deny its impact on me or the late 90's/2000's.


	11. Part Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we're finally here, fam. The accumulation of all my storytelling has brought us here. There's still an epilogue and then a bonus chapter left to go, but for all intents and purposes this is where everything comes to a head. Not to oversell it, but I'm so proud to have put my all into this part. I sincerely hope everyone enjoys the action!

_ When in doubt_, Kou thought as he ducked down the cobblestone street, _ always trust in FATE. _ The motto had been an offhand joke once, but it'd benefited Kou in his prior case and tonight might lead to another breakthrough. As if in reflection of its namesake, the place had always brought him luck. Maybe not _ good _ luck, but Kou needed all the help he could get at the moment.

Elle had unexpectedly contacted him with the intent of meeting up at the aforementioned bar. She'd refrained from going into specifics on an unsecure channel, but hinted that it was time sensitive and related to his ongoing case. That was reason enough for him to hustle over.

He also…_might _have needed to flee the motel room as Leann's mood soured. When she hadn't discovered anything worthwhile at the precinct it'd sent her into a renewed tizzy, her efforts tripling overnight. Kou was liable to lose a limb if he got too close to her or her equipment when she got like this. So to preserve his extremities he left to convene with the other LUKIS agent.

Up ahead, a line had formed at FATE's door. It was an unusual but promising sight, rendering Kou's jog into a saunter as he waded into the crowd. Sion spotted him, waving Kou around and inside. He would have liked to stay and chat about what they must be giving away for free to attract such a small mob, but decided against distracting the frazzled bouncer.

Inside was the same story. Almost every table was filling up and soon people would have to congregate at the bar as all the barstools were taken. Who Kou didn't see yet was Elle, but that was no surprise given he'd escaped his motel accommodations earlier than their agreed rendezvous to mingle and blend in.

Before FATE was overrun, Kou went upstairs to the loft to check on the rest of the staff. Sure enough, Dominique and Volt were playing a round of cards. A look of intense concentration was on the young girl's face. Dominique's tongue stuck out the side of her mouth and her shoulders were hunched up to her ears as she huddled over her selection. Coming to a decision, she locked eyes with Volt and asked, "Do you have any threes?"

"Oh my god," Kou squeaked. The realization that they were playing Go Fish and how _ super cute _that was struck him like a physical blow. His words carried and Volt cut a glare in his direction, daring Kou to comment further as he slid Dominique his three of diamonds and three of clubs.

The silent warning _ almost _ made Kou rethink his life choices.

Except not really at all.

Dominique heard him, too. She broke from her competitive mindset to wriggle in her seat, instead. "Kou, hello! You're looking a hundred times better."

"Thanks, princess. All that tea you got me seemed to cure my ails," he said, sliding up to her side of the table. His tone was innocent as he asked, "Who's winning? The both of you look like you're having fun."

"Me!" she said proudly. As if it _ weren't _obvious that she was slaughtering her opponent, considering the stacks of cards facing up at her and the piles of candy at her elbow. There was no telling how long they'd been playing card games, but for the other man's ego Kou wasn't sure if a slow, painful loss was worse than quick, sequential ones. In either case, Kou gave Dominique a high-five.

"Sion was looking a little haggard out there. Shouldn't he be off his shift soon?" Kou asked, changing the subject.

Dominique took a gander at Volt's watch from across the table and gasped. "You're right! I can go let him know he'll be on break soon."

"I can manage that when I go to replace him," Volt volunteered, and then in an attempt to be stern he added, "We should both get back to work. Business is picking up."

"Oh, I guess you're right, too." In spite of her despondency, she passed her cards to Volt so he could shuffle them for later. Dominique stuffed her edible winnings in the pockets of her shorts – but not before offering to share a couple with them, to which they kindly declined – then excused herself to return to her post downstairs.

"Any news?" Volt asked, once the two of them were alone. He didn't sound hopeful, taking Kou's unhurried presence as an indication. His fingers idly flipped along the edges of the restacked deck of cards, mixing and remixing them without his needing to look.

“Only if you’ve had any visitors from a certain animal-themed bar,” Kou said. At Volt’s shake of the head, Kou confirmed, "Then no, I got nothing. Nada. Zip."

"I wouldn't worry just yet," Volt said. He set the deck down, the sides lined up and even. "I'm loath to give Echidna any credit, but if she's good for anything it's sniffing out targets. She said she'd find your drug lord, so she will."

"You think she's still reliable?" he asked.

Leaning back in his seat, Volt rubbed his chin at the slight stubble there. Kou had noticed the unkempt appearance. While he believed Volt carried the rugged look well, he hoped it wasn't due to his increased involvement in Kou's case. 

"Reliable? Hell no," Volt said matter-of-factly. "But predictable? Very likely. Her reputation and image is everything; Echidna will want to prove her superiority. If nothing else, her holding this over my head is incentive. _ That _ you can count on."

"I guess that’s something."

Down below, a woman with a high, blond ponytail took the sole remaining seat at the bar. She wore a denim bustier and boots with scraps of denim rolled over the cuffs. Kou recognized Elle's peculiar brand of blue attire from their initial exchange.

Kou gave Volt a nudge on the arm in passing. "Okay, enough of that. I think I'm just gonna take my mind off things tonight – rejuvenate the old grey matter. If you need me I'll be paying your worth in wages at the bar tonight."

"Don't forget to include my tip," Volt joked, moving to finish cleaning up the rest of the velvet.

On the first floor Kou navigated through a number of close-knit bodies to reach the bar. Boss was preparing drink after drink, looking ecstatic under all the wrinkles at the strum in revenue. Kou gave him a curt wave since he missed out on catching the other man's attention prior, and received a nod in return since his hands were busy shaking up a martini.

Because every stool was occupied Kou had to stand at the corner, next to Elle. He even had to raise his voice more than he was comfortable to be heard over the din of the room. "Hey, fancy meeting you again. Small world, huh?"

"Howdy yourself." At his arrival, her lips curled in a slow smile. "I'm so glad to see you."

"And why's that?" he asked, latching on to her turn of phrase. Whatever she had to offer he hoped would pay off.

"I heard someone's been creatin' quite the stir lately; it's makin' people talk. You wouldn't know anythin' about that, would you?"

"Why? You think a face like this is liable to get into trouble?"

She motioned to the bartender. Kou was present, meaning their call sign of ordering a Shinra Ale wasn't _ technically _ necessary, but in their line of work keeping up appearances was key. Elle's line of bracelets, these made of leather and hemp mixed in with the metal variety, jangled at the motion. The jewelry slid down and reflected the low lighting in such a way to catch his eye.

"Oh, I think yours is _ just _the kind to go pokin' where it don't belong. And that's a problem."

Kou frowned. Not at what she said, per se, but he noted…_something _ under her bracelets as she swept her arm back and forth. A bunch of thin, black lines were etched into her skin. Part of them intersected to form what might be an animal's tail. Lightning quick, Kou snapped out his hand and snatched her by the limb. Where his fingers gripped Elle's arm the jewelry bunched together, revealing more of the design.

It was the same lizard tattoo Kou had seen on his blue-suit-wearing captor. And matched the stenciled renditions painted on brick walls in the red light district. This was the chameleon he'd heard tell about, it haunting every aspect of this case.

Kou's breathing became deceptively calm as he transferred his stare from Elle's arm to her face in a wordless demand for an explanation. She didn't appear repentant as she met his gaze. He might go so far as to call the expression _ smug. _

"I told you my friends call me Elle, didn't I? But there's another nickname for _ Leon_elle," she purred. "My smugglers, my dealers, my runners – they all call me the Chame_leon. _ It's been right there all along, sweetheart."

"Fuck me," Kou cursed under his breath, furious at himself for not seeing it sooner. More concerning than that, he knew this information wasn't being disclosed to him without cause. His mind went into overdrive, conceiving of every deadly scenario and tossing out each one until he stopped on the only possibility.

"That's the idea," Elle said. Her irises slid to the side in the same instance Kou whipped his head around. He saw Volt making his way to the front door. Kou shouted the other man's name in warning. Immediately on alert, Volt stopped in his tracks and zeroed in on Kou with concern.

But it was too late.

The front door burst open, spearheaded by Sion's body hitting it with his whole weight. He soared through the air as someone three times his size kicked him through the front entrance. They were shadowed by four muscled men and women that had been in line to enter FATE. Dominique gasped at the commotion and the dirty dishes on her tray toppled off as she screamed Sion's name in horror.

Volt was close enough to catch Sion before a table could break his fall. He steadied their friend as best as he could, but Sion was still hissing in pain. He crisscrossed his arms and clutched his chest as he ended up kneeling on the floor. Volt didn't waste any time taking up a defensive stance in front of Sion, forming a wall between him and his assailants from outside.

An eerie quiet befell the establishment.

"W-what is the meaning of this?" Boss commanded, but the patrons closest to him stood up and towered over him. Regardless of having the massive wooden bar between him and them, he took a step away in fear.

All the denim jackets and jean leggings rustled as everyone else got up. One man cracked his neck and adjusted the collar of his coat to reveal the same chameleon moniker inked there. The people collectively banded together and cut off the escape routes as they herded Kou's friends toward the center of the room.

_ An ambush_, Kou realized in dismay.

"Ya shouldn'tve come back," Elle said. Warily, Kou refocused his attention on her.

"You traitorous _ snake_," he said, too shocked to come up with anything more scathing.

"More of a lizard, actually." She tittered at her own joke, but he wasn't biting. Unfazed by his solemness, Elle picked up where she'd left off. "It was cute watchin' you and yours bumblin' around, but the powers that be think you've interfered with our experiments enough. Once I'm done with you and these losers, I've been instructed to get rid of your nosy partner the same way I did Agent Hatzi."

At the mention of Sin's name and the threats Kou's grip unconsciously tightened on her arm, drawing her in closer. "That'll _ never _happen. You're way underestimating us."

"Hah hah! Do you _ really _ expect to stop me? It's just you and some lowly bar staff against my entire crew. We've been at this for _ months _ and nobody has come close," Elle bragged. She leaned in those last couple of centimeters separating them. "Y'all are dead meat and just don't know it yet."

As if on cue, there came a voice from outside the front entrance. "Well this is different. I don't think I've ever shown up fashionably _ early _ before."

Echidna stood in the doorway, dressed in a bubblegum pink Juicy Couture tracksuit. She had on the matching velvet jacket. It was open to reveal a white tank top with bedazzled text on it.

Frankie and his cousin, Stella, accompanied her. Stella was easy to identify by her skintight, purple bodysuit. The outfit blended seamlessly into her metal-tipped boots and spiked gloves, which she used to backhand the group blocking the entrance and make room for Echidna to step inside, unimpeded.

Sion started, "Wait, isn't that—"

"Echidna?" Volt asked, shaking his head. "You're more like questionably on time. What are _ you _doing here?"

"Don't be so paranoid; I'm here to repay my debt. My people got wind that something Big, with a capital B, was going down on your side of town. So I decided to deliver the news myself. Imagine my surprise to find one of our own here." She dipped her chin in Elle's direction and coldly said, "Hello again, Ellie. Sunk low, much?"

The other woman's demeanor changed. Elle wrenched her arm free of Kou's hold, her teeth gnashing. "Screw you, screw all of you! It's because of pathetic security like _ yours _ that put the Mikado Group in shambles. I had a good thing goin' until you and everyone else ruined everythin'!"

It was then that Kou recalled how LUKIS attempted to infiltrate the megacorporation by planting spies in strategic positions at the company, but all that was retrieved turned out to be of public record. Nobody could seem to dig deep enough and penetrate the innermost circle of those involved. That's when high-command had resorted to employing Leann and him in another approach.

_ Was Elle a double agent that far back? _ From the sounds of it, she must have been. It was disconcerting to the max that someone who'd passed all the background checks and psych evaluations had ended up a mole for the other side. If Kou survived to tell his superiors about this flub they'd have a meltdown.

"You three _ especially _ tick me off. I'm gonna take so much pleasure in puttin' the likes of you down," Elle seethed, glaring at Sion, Volt and Kou in turn.

"The fuck even is this?" Sion wheezed from his spot on the ground, understandably lost. "I don't even know who you are, lady!"

"Ergh, it doesn't matter! Dead men don't need 'ta remember names or faces." Then, shouting to the room at large, "Go ahead, y'all! Nobody leaves here alive."

Boss was, surprisingly, the first to retaliate. As those closest to him moved to jump the bar he went for the dispensers. He pulled them as far as the tubing would allow and raised the taps to spray at nearby assailants. Dual wielding them, Boss was able to blind a few or created such slippery surfaces that they fell over themselves.

In the same instance, a goon reached to ensnare Dominique and she screamed so loudly that the glass in the windows rattled. She used her serving tray like a weapon to beat back anyone that went to lay a hand on her. Dominique bashed in heads or smacked it broadside on people's arms. While she was doing a good job of handling herself, Sion shakily got to his feet and went to join her.

He used the element of surprise to come up behind anyone paying attention to Dominique's swinging arm rather than their surroundings. With those individuals dealt with, Sion stomped on whoever was left after her self-defense measures.

Across the room, Echidna simply nodded her head. At the signal, Stella flicked out a butterfly knife and engaged in the nearest group. Frankie was right behind her, but acted more of the hype man as opposed to a combatant. He cheered on his cousin as she compensated for both of them. She made quick work of anyone in reach of her roundhouse kicks or sharp jabs.

Echidna herself stepped forward soon after. She assumed a fighting stance next to Volt. Without making eye contact, she said, "Don't think I'm doing this for a thank you. This truce is only temporary because I want to put an end to these pests infecting my territory. Got it?"

"I wasn't planning on it," Volt said, baffled.

"Good. At least we understand each other for once."

They shifted into combat together. Echidna was a hurricane of strikes that stunned her opponents, or she knocked them off balance in Volt's direction. He made short work of them, pummeling the people that Echidna sent his way or shoulder checking anyone dumb enough to rush him head on.

Including their reinforcements, that only left Kou…and Elle.

She reached into a pouch strapped to the hip of her shorts. Kou had seconds to catch her wrist and prevent being stabbed in the eye by the twenty gauge needle. He slammed her hand down on the bar top and held it firmly in place.

Elle raised her other hand to heel strike him in the chin and he caught that wrist, too. Kou crossed their arms in an attempt to put her in a vulnerable position, wanting to force her to turn around and get locked against the bar. But she was a LUKIS agent, same as him, with all the exact training, specialties, and experience that entailed.

Instead of twisting with the motion she tried to headbutt him. Kou reared back to avoid the attack and throw Elle off her game. He brought his knee up to slam it into her stomach, but she raised her own leg and braced for the impact. The limb dampened some of the damage, but the momentum knocked her away.

She collapsed on the ground. The syringe broke in her hand. Shards of glass cut open her palm, although she didn't seem to notice. Other vials popped free from her hip satchel. The containers rolled across the floorboards and got lost amongst the pairs of shoes shuffling around, disappearing into the crowd.

In retaliation, Elle swept her leg out to brush Kou's feet out from underneath him. He was prepared for this particular attack after his refresher with Leann prior to their mission. Kou jumped, aiming a fist to come down on the drop to pin her in place. Elle skittered out of the way, though. Scrambling off the floor, she used her own subordinates as shields that Kou had to shove or rapidly disable to keep on her.

She ran toward the stairs, probably to gain the high ground. Kou gave himself a running start and leapt at the wall. He kicked off the surface and used the railing like a springboard to narrow the distance. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to prevent her from fleeing to the table Volt and Dominique were playing at earlier. Elle used the piece of furniture like a barrier.

"Why won't you just _ give up? _ " she hissed. They circled the table, Elle keeping her distance. "Nobody at LUKIS gives a shit about us! They squander whoever works for 'em – you, your partner, me! The higher ups fear our potential, so they banished us _ here _to be forgotten."

"You're in the wrong business if you expected recognition in an _ anonymous _organization," Kou refuted. He didn't add that praise or attention, if it came at the cost of oneself, wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Kou highly doubted Elle was in the right mindset to accept such personal wisdom. "You can't fool me into giving you – what, some sympathy? You didn't have to hurt all those people, or murder Sin, or do any of this!"

"I don't want anything from you, much less your pity! Because newsflash, asshole, someone noticed my great genius and soon I'll…soon… W-what?"

Her footsteps wavered, Elle seeming to trip over her own two feet. Kou suspected a ruse, but her body swayed and a hand shot out to steady herself on the tabletop. The other hand shook in front of her face as she raised it up, eyes wide as she beheld her injury for the first time. She winced, the same hand clutching her head and leaving streaks of red through her hair. 

Elle rambled, "No… No, no, no. Wait, I can defeat them! Don't do this to me—" Whatever was going on consolidated into a giant outburst. Elle yelled and gripped the table with both hands. With a surge of excessive strength she flipped the piece of furniture like it weighed nothing and flung it aside. Seemingly with no concern for tact or her own safety, Elle ran directly for him.

And rammed herself bodily into Kou's spinning hook kick. The force of it, combined with the speed of her forward momentum, staggered her into an upturned chair. His attack should have rendered her unconscious, or at the very least disoriented her.

It didn't seem to faze Elle in the slightest.

Teeth bared and growling, she knocked the chair aside with the bat of an arm. Lunging at him, Elle toppled them to the ground in a tangle of flailing body parts. She clawed wildly at him, catching him across the face in the same area as the bruise marring his cheek from his 'interrogation' because why not? That just seemed to be his good fortune lately.

To add insult to injury, she grabbed a fistful of the longer strands of hair on the side of Kou's head and used it as an anchor to slam his head into the floor. When she moved to do it a second time Kou edged his leg between their bodies. He kicked out, dislodging Elle and sending her stumbling backwards into the loft railing.

Elle's sense of self-preservation was absent as her reeling overcorrected and overbalanced her off the edge. Her mindless screams were cut off with a solid _ thud_. Kou placed his palm against the goose egg forming on his face as he levered himself upright and approached the railing.

On top of a pool table was Elle's body. A table leg had cracked on impact, forcing the piece of furniture to tilt downward at the corner. There was barely any blood marring the surface; just a trickle out of the corner of her mouth to indicate her internal injuries. Even from his height, Kou could tell her eyes were unblinking and she was no longer breathing.

The others were finishing cleaning up the place when Elle went down for the count. Whoever remained bailed at the sight of their leader taking a nosedive off the loft, leaving their knocked out and broken compatriots to fend for themselves. 

At the crashing noise, Sion had placed a protective hand in front of Dominique to prevent her from the threat of being flattened. He stared at where Elle had fallen, wide-eyed. "Well that sure was…a thing."

In the distance, police sirens rang.

"That's our cue," Echidna said, snapping her fingers. Her henchman, Stella, gave a shirtless man a final _ thwack _ with the reinforced part of her boot for good measure before following her boss' command. Echidna hung back, directing a filed nail at Volt. "And you – don't think our deal is null and void just because I found the information at the same time as you. We're _ done_, and that's that."

"Yeah, dude! Even-steven," Frankie said, earning a smack to the back of the head by Stella.

Echidna hadn't broken eye contact with Volt. The man eventually nodded in acquiesce. If Kou had to hazard a guess, Volt relented more to be done with the whole mess and have her never darken their doorstep again than wanting to argue about semantics or technicalities. Echidna nodded back and made to leave.

On the group's way out, Frankie's enthusiasm hadn't waned. "Hell yeah, did you see me out there? I mean, you did alright cuz, but I gave that guy a _ boom_, and then a _ pow. _Lipsmackers, represent!"

"That is _ not _ our name! And will you move it, Frankie?" Echidna snapped. She planted the flat of her shoe on his ass and thrust him out of FATE's back door, opposite of the encroaching officers.

"Does this mean all the bad guys are finished?" Dominique piped up from her huddled position against Sion's back. The man hurried to reassure her, fussing over her hair as if to make sure no one had mussed a single strand out of place. While Sion was busy comforting her, Volt went over to Elle and checked for a pulse. It was pointless – Volt shaking his head up at Kou confirmed what he already knew.

With the adrenaline tapering off and his culprit dead, Kou felt every single injury he'd received. He slumped against the railing as flashing lights peeked through the front windows of the bar, signaling the arrival of local authorities. Kou pulled out his flip phone and pressed the speed dial for Leann. When she picked up, he tiredly said, "Hey sis? We got a family emergency."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Leonelle (Elle, The Chameleon)**: I'm not the best mystery writer, but I hope this reveal was at least a surprise to some, or made readers feel good at their suspicions being confirmed! I've always enjoyed that thing where video games give gangs a running theme, and hers is denim, lol! Her attire being mentioned in part two and this one were no coincidence (nor was my emphasis just misplaced!), plus her guy at Rockabilly and everyone in this chapter. ;) I also thought super long and hard about her name, since I always had the _concept_ about tying them together, so I'm just gonna pat myself on the back for coming up with it. 
> 
> **Juicy Couture Fashion**: Man, when I was a little kid this brand and the outfits they made were aaall the rage back in the 90s and 2000s, and since Echidna is like my dream dress up doll I of course had to put her in one. I'm not gonna lie, I kind of lived vicariously through her just now. 
> 
> (Also, did anyone notice how much Stella is like Echidna's stand in for Kou? I'm not saying she's jealous of Volt, but she was kind of, maybe, sort of, DEFINITELY compelled to find her own equivalent fighter in the form of a kickboxing master... *whistles innocently*)


	12. Part Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With his and Leann's case wrapping up, Kou settles in for what comes next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teeechnically we've reached the epilogue, but during the process of writing this I had decided to tack on a bonus chapter after this one. It'll be purely self-indulgent fluff - all the domestic and couple-y stuff I've ever wanted to write. So if that's not your thing then please enjoy the "official" ending of this story! Otherwise please stay tuned for one more chapter, which I'll hopefully have up in November!

“Nanotechnology.”

“What?” Kou asked. “Really?”

“If the lab reports are to be believed, it would seem so,” Leann said as she latched the lid of her luggage closed. She was putting the finishing touches on packing her two roller suitcases and carry-on bag. All three items were covered in red hearts, little arrows, and cutesy doves – a matching set – to conceal the advanced and _ expensive _ computer equipment stashed within. “The lead chemist at LUKIS had our cyber division examine it and they verified their findings.”

“No wonder we were having shit for luck tracking that stuff. Turns out it wasn’t really a drug at all,” he mused.

“Not in the traditional sense, no.”

It was…_something _ to finally have some answers. After Elle’s, or better known as The Chameleon’s, demise at FATE, Leann had sent out an urgent recall. Unsurprisingly, Elle’s body and the remaining members of her gang were gone before LUKIS agents could intercept and transport them into custody. But Kou managed to pocket an undamaged vial that Elle had dropped. He had stumbled upon it under a table when helping the members of the bar clean up.

He’d turned it over for analysis, Leann just receiving the results and belying them. With the real culprit and their means discovered, it became clear that they were probably injecting the nanites into anything and everything. Drinks, food, even directly into their ‘subjects’ with few traces.

The drugs masking the machines were just the most widespread means of distributing it. The method made sense now, since nanotechnology was discreet and more controllable. Although _ how _ exactly was way above Kou’s pay grade. Considering Leann was the technology expert in their duo, he’d leave her to hash out the finer details.

Although, the events left a bittersweet taste in Kou’s mouth. They’d put a stop to Sin’s killer and it’d serve to put a dent in whatever major plan was in motion, making the streets Sin loved quieter for a time. It just wasn’t in the way Kou would have preferred. 

Elle couldn’t face the consequences of her crimes and the case was far from closed. As far as the public was concerned, the confrontation at FATE was just another regular night ending in a bar brawl, which wasn’t worth more than a five minute segment on the 11 o’clock news. LUKIS had also wasted no time in stripping Elle from the record, as if the damage she’d caused never existed.

Leann dumped her carry-on onto her largest hard case and strapped it on for good measure, the noise ripping Kou from his thoughts. She unclipped the extendable handle and held it in a tight grip as she stopped to stare at him. “So. Are you sure about this?”

He looked down at his own belongings, which were still in total disarray. Half of everything was strewn across the bed in crumpled piles, whereas the rest was shrewdly sorted in his bag. Not a big deal, considering Kou wasn’t in any kind of hurry.

“Yeah. You told me once ‘no regrets’, right? I’m finally listening,” he reassured her.

“Alright.” Leann nodded once. “I’ll contact you later, after I’ve settled in to my new office for our follow-up assignment. Oh, and the team leader will want to speak with you to go over the specifics.”

As if hearing her warning, Kou’s cell phone rang from his pants pocket. Without another word in farewell, Leann excused herself before he’d even reached into the depths of his clothing for the device. Kou waved two fingers at her in passing. 

He whipped it out, the lid flicking open at the motion, as he didn’t so much as glance at the caller ID screen. Already predicting the unmarked number that would be flashing across the front, he placed the phone against his ear. “Yo! This is Kou, at your service.”

“_Your name and designation number for the record_,” his superior’s voice rang through the line.

“Richards, 1-223-2000,” Kou rattled off.

“_Excellent, that all appears to be in order_,” he said. Although his boss was not visible to him over the phone, it was easy to picture the man prim and proper in his seat. “_Before we begin, I believe I owe you another round of congratulations. You and your partner are becoming quite notorious for beating the odds_.”

Alone in the motel room, Kou didn’t have to hide his reactions. Not that he could settle on one, unsure if he should be insulted at the thinly veiled, passive-aggressive praise or gag at the kiss-assing. Either way, Kou kept his tone civil as he thanked the man for the ‘recognition’.

“_Truly, it is commendable how quickly the both of you have closed the case. High-command is most pleased_,” his superior said.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kou said, “I appreciate the sentiment, but with all due respect, sir, the case isn’t solved yet—"

“_Nonsense! Agent Hatzi’s saboteur has been dealt with and any further leaks in the agency have been suitably removed._”

Kou’s teeth clacked together with how fast he’d closed his mouth shut at the interruption. His superior was reputably cool and collected, but the snappish way he dismissed Kou’s claim was liable to give him whiplash. This conversation as a whole wasn’t going in the direction he had expected, either. He’d anticipated further instructions on how to keep on current leads, but it sounded an awful like the other man was implying Kou drop it altogether.

“But sir, what about the producer of nanotechnology?” he tentatively persisted. “We may have slowed its distribution, but the person responsible is still out there generating more, intending to use it for who-knows-what.”

“_Your concern is duly noted, agent_,” his boss replied with a more level tone of voice. “_What can be divulged will be released to the proper authorities and as for the rest, rest assured that there are top men already dedicated to preventing this new, advanced technology from becoming a threat._”

Okay, implied _ nothing_. Kou had heard that line somewhere before, and it never meant well in the end. He was definitely getting bumped from the mission, and it was being locked up at headquarters in a plain pine box to be buried in the archives of some forgotten basement. Like the nails in the coffin, his boss warned, “_I expect you not to pursue this matter any further. Do I make myself clear?_”

“I hear you,” Kou promised-not-promised, crossing the fingers of his freehand behind his back.

“_Good. With that settled, let us discuss your future… Your upcoming role will be twofold. You may have already heard that I am reassigning you to replace the individual observing the target at FATE – or resume your previous task, as it were._”

Kou wanted to blurt ‘I told you so’ for that one. If the people in charge of LUKIS had listened to him in the first place and kept him on, like he’d _ asked_, then maybe none of this would have happened. At the very least, it might not have gotten this far.

“_We do not expect you to resume your old post, of course, but with the previous agent’s, shall we say, lack of moral integrity, it would be prudent to re-evaluate any possible risks. And in addition to you staying in the city, there has been suspicious activity near the docks—" _

A knock came on the door.

“Hm? Oh, pardon me, sir.” Kou excused himself, resting the cell phone against his shoulder and going to address whoever was at the door. Assuming it was Leann coming back to retrieve something she’d forgotten or remind him of something _ he’d _forgotten, Kou opened it without thinking. “What, didja miss me already—"

He came up short as he met with Volt blocking the entirety of the doorway. He looked out of breath, as if he’d run the whole way there from across all of Edge. Volt spotted the cell phone Kou was holding and nabbed it out of his hand.

Into the receiver, Volt said, “He’ll call you back” and _ hung up on Kou’s superior. _

Mortified, Kou sucked in a deep breath. He gaped at the device after Volt clicked it closed. “_Volt_, what—"

“Stay.” At the single word, Kou was rendered speechless again as his trepidation turned into confusion. It must have been apparent across his face because Volt elaborated, “You told me I should have asked you to stay – with us.” He’d never seen the bouncer struggle so hard with anything, and Kou was liable to put Volt’s worries to rest until he pushed onward. “So here I am. Asking you to stay this time.”

Tilting his head, Kou asked, “With…everyone at FATE? Or with you?”

“Both,” he said, the word sounding torn out of him.

Kou settled on crossing his arms and leaned against the doorframe. “I don’t know. I’ll have to run it by my employer first. It’s a pretty tall order you’re requesting.”

“Who are they?” Volt asked. Every ounce of him seemed prepared to fisticuff whoever for the right to get Kou to remain here. In a way, it was kind of charming.

“The guy you just hung up on.”

To his credit, Volt looked apologetic once his actions and their repercussions dawned on him. He jerkily trailed his gaze down to Kou’s phone, still clasped in his hand, and back up at Kou. Without a word Volt held the device out to him.

The smile that Kou had been keeping at bay finally broke as he burst into laughter, rendered absolutely in love by the display. Kou took the device and tossed it listlessly over his shoulder, letting it fall somewhere on the musty floor. Reaching for the lapel of Volt’s leather jacket, he tugged him down for a kiss with a, “Fuck it. I’ll call him back later.”

When Kou had enough with becoming intimate with the tongue ring Volt adorned, the other man asked, “Is that a ‘yes’ to you staying?”

“It’s an ‘I need a little more convincing,’” Kou said.

Their exploring migrated to the bed.

Kou continued to draw Volt invitingly along and on top of him. They were mid-lip-lock when something small and sharp jammed into the small of Kou’s back. He almost bit Volt’s lip by mistake, still managing to startle the both of them.

“Did I…?” Volt tried to lean off him and lessen his weight, but Kou tightened the hold he had on the back of the other man’s jacket to keep him from getting too far.

“No, no, it’s alright! Just a sneak attack.” He dug around underneath himself and found the offending perpetrator – a tiny box, wrapped in all black. Kou’s ears went bright red at the sight, having forgotten all about stashing Volt’s going-away-present from before.

“You still have that?” Volt chuckled as he recognized the old gift, too. “And you haven’t even _ opened _it yet?”

“I was saving it,” Kou refuted, petulant in the way he ducked his chin. He could feel his entire face getting as flushed as his ears and hated every moment of it.

“It’s really nothing special. You should just look,” he said. 

Volt sat up further, more persistent this time, and Kou reluctantly allowed him to. He pouted as his hand slid along the material of his coat. The pads of each finger sensed the rippling of Volt’s muscles as he got to his feet.

“I was sort of hoping to unwrap something else,” Kou said.

“I…should probably get back to work,” Volt confessed. Now it was Volt's turn to be the embarrassed one as he admitted that Dominique, Sion, and their boss had encouraged him to rush over in the middle of Happy Hour to keep Kou from leaving again. Once more, Kou was flattered beyond measure.

“_Fine_,” he said, letting himself lounge against the mattress. Kou flung an arm across his forehead, as if faint. “Go on. Use me and leave me. I see how it is.”

“Your present will keep you company in my stead,” Volt offered, the bastard unrepentant.

“It won’t be the same, but I guess I can finally enjoy it. On _ one _ condition,” Kou said, rising from his splayed position to hold up a finger for emphasis, “it’s your ‘welcome back’ present! Since I intend on staying here in the city and all.”

Volt rumbled his assent and left him with a fleeting kiss.

When the door clicked closed, Kou fell back on the bed. He held the box above his face, fiddling with it, as if he hadn’t memorized the look and feel of the item a dozen times over. Worrying his lip, Kou slid a thumbnail under the crease and ripped off the wrapping paper before he changed his mind. A waxy, nondescript box was left. Kou popped open the lid and saw_— _

He had no fucking clue what.

There was a keychain ring that allowed him to loop his pinky finger through and hold it up to examine. The bobble had flocking all over its body, with a bushy tail and a furry mane akin to a Trolls doll. It had comically _ massive _paws in relation to the rest of its body. If Kou had to hazard a guess, it might have resembled a red, orange, and yellow cat-thing. 

Kou tried to envision Volt squeezing his tall and metal-studded self into some dinky novelty shop and asking the poor salesperson to gift wrap such a delicate item. Another laugh bubbled up inside his chest, and then even more let loose. Kou couldn’t stop, delighted at the prospect of using the keychain for the place he intended to stay…in Edge, with FATE, where he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Kou's Agent Number**: If broken up in another way, it can read 12/23/2000...also known as the Japanese release date of _The Bouncer_ on PS2. ;)
> 
> **Moomba**: I hope it was clear enough, but Volt's gift to Kou is supposed to resemble a Moomba (the feline caricatures from Final Fantasy 8). His leather jacket might be anti-Cactuar, but he's pro-Moomba keychains for his (now!!!) boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my [writing blog on Tumblr](http://snaurus.tumblr.com/) for more content or [come say hi to me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/snaurus)!


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